Glass Berry Cupcake: Meet the Artist!
Today we would like you to meet fellow glassblower and friend, Gloria, the face behind Glass Berry Cupcake. Gloria is originally from Eugene, Oregon and got into glass blowing in high school when her partner at the time started learning how to blow glass. She would watch them for hours on end for months, and became facinated with the craft. Gloria said she was forunate enough to get into the glass blowing movement during the 90's, giving her 25 years of experience under her belt.
Gloria started with bench work and lathe work came shortly after. She's been working on the same Litton HSA since 2002, referring to it as "her baby".
Currently she has a shop set up in her garage with a large bench, two torch spots and a lathe. She said she equally enjoys working from home and having a shop elsewhere because ultimately variety is the best way to maintain balance.
"Somedays it's nice to get out and socialize with other humans, and other days it's nice to stay home and focus. It's also wonderful not paying for daycare and being available for my daughter when she needs anything". Just like here at Tako Glass, family is a huge drive in her work.
Gloria of Glass Berry Cupcake has been blowing glass professionally for a quarter of a century, making it her first job and her most recent one as well with nothing but glass blowing in-between. She said she feels fortunate to have found her niche.
Glass Berry Cupcake tries to make a large variety of recognizable pieces. She emphasized the importance of flexibility within the industry and our current economy. Making different things, switching between styles and striving to learn new techniques and creating new pieces is key.
One of her notorious styles is a particular Inside-out style that has been stream lined throughout decades. The constant repetition has enabled each piece to come out extrememly similar, with strong quality control. "I have probably made 10,000 bubblers", she said.
Gloria works within her local community, stating that everyone around her area is wonderful. She helps some of her good friends with their glass prep, occasionally rents out bench space and sells millies locally. Gloria enjoys being apart of it all and doing everything she possibly can within the glass world.
When asked what factors influence the price of her work Gloria said competition has the largest impact. You have to stay competitive in the glass world in order to keep up with changing prices and markets. She stated that she ultimately prefers to sell glass and get her pieces out there, and not letting them sit on the shelves if possible.
Looking to the future, Gloria concluded by saying,
"I look forward to taking more classes, traveling and networking as much as possible! Growing my brand and getting out there. With tons of torch time under my belt, that's sounds to be the most fun now!"
Check out the entire Glass Berry Cupcake collection here: SHOP THE COLLECTION
