Hot, hot, hot.
In the new Green VI glass studio, the oven for cooling off finished bowls , plates and paperweights is 900 degrees.
The “glory hole” is even hotter: It has to be to heat the glass enough to make it workably soft. Then there’s the furnace. It’s hot enough to keep the glass in liquid form until master glassblower Jake Barron and his apprentices are ready.
Green VI, a non-profit group focused on environmental sustainability in the Virgin Islands, broke ground on the studio behind Myett’s Garden and Grille in October, lit the furnace at the end of February, and plans a grand opening later this month.
For now, the studio attracts the attention of passers-by, and is already doing a steady business selling glass art, Mr. Barron said.
One afternoon last week, tourists, studio neighbours and people who work nearby gathered around the studio to watch Mr. Barron work alongside his apprentice.
“I like doing the shell,” said Cisne Benjamin, one of four apprentice glassblowers, as she worked.
For now, Ms. Benjamin builds paperweights in the shape of seashells and starfish, and helps with Mr. Barron’s more complex projects, such as adding a handle to a mug.
See today’s edition for full coverage.
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