A long trip, still in motion

In 1999 I had the opportunity to visit a friend living in another state while I was traveling on business. He is an artist, and was working glass as his medium of choice, originally as a lamp-worker and then as an off-hand glassblower. My visit was short, only a few hours, but he managed to show me his craft. I was, still am, and will continue to be, enamored by glass. A few years later, my friend moved back home and began lamp-working glass again. I immediately began apprenticing. My work was, well, novice at best, so I went on to take classes with world famous artist, such as Sally Prasch, Roger Parramore, and Shane Faro. Many of my classmates were bead makers, part of the ISGB local Boston Chapter, who are still my friends to this day. 
Sometime not too long after that, my friend and I met a gaffer who was building a private hot-shop at his home. My friend began working with him and I tagged along for the "WOW" fun factor. I openned kiln doors and shielded body parts whenever I could. Before long my original friend decided to move on yet again. My new friend asked me fill the void, and I moved from being a lamp-worker to furnace worker. I traded my working hours time for time at the bench. We went on to make countless pieces, shipping all over the country. I made quite the personal collection and sold many of my creations. My day-job coworkers enjoyed supporting my addiction and looked forward to the annual employee craft fair.
Years later, the economy took a turn for the worst, and we had to close the hot-shop. My friend insisted that I take the Kiln home with me, and so started my days as a glass fuser and slumper. Although there is no flame involved, artglass when combined with a good cutter and a nice mold can produce wonderful pieces. There are so many new avenues, I have only touched the surface. 
High Temp Arts came out of the opportunity to sell my wares at an annual art sale for students of a school that I had once attended. I saw HTA as an opportunity to further market my goods after the sale at the school. I now use it to represent my work in an Art Center, several retail locations, on-line marketplaces, and social media outlets. Like my exploration of glass as a medium, High Temp Arts is still in it's infancy, relatively speaking. I hope to continue to grow and share my glass, and my passion for it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy bringing it to you. 

Keep it hot. ~John