Photo Karen Graham.
Trevor Logan of Bewdley with his hand-crafted glass pieces at the Millbrook Farmers’ Market last month.
Like many entrepreneurs, Trevor Logan’s glass blowing business began as a hobby. At first he was a collector, but soon decided to pick up the skill and was taught by friends. After finding a market for his work, he began producing decorative glass products out of his home in Bewdley.
He is called a lampworker. These artisans uses torches or lamps to melt glass, whereas glass blowers melt the glass in a furnace. Once the glass is in a molten state, it is shaped by blowing on it or by using hand held tools to manipulate it into the desired form. The best known lampwork products are associated with the type of glasswork performed in Murano, Italy.
Trevor uses borosilicate glass rods and beads as his raw material. It includes silica and boron trioxide and is known to be more shock resistant than other types of glass, and is commonly found in flasks, lighting, electronics and cookware. He brings in his raw materials in the shape of colourful glass rods from sources including Toronto, the U.S. and Germany
Trevor creates pot pipes and many decorative items. His decorative work often includes inspiration from space, and depict galaxies, planets and stars. Some of the more complex items demonstrate a pattern called Millefiori, which is an Italian term that refers to a glasswork technique which produces diminutive decorative patterns embedded in glassware.
Once formed, the glass pieces are placed in lampworking kilns to cool or anneal. This allows the creation to cool slowly, preventing a thermal shock that shatters the glass if the temperature changes too quickly. .
His work sells to collectors primarily through social media. There are custom orders, but generally he produces items on inspiration and then offers them for sale. The items he brings to the Millbrook Market are on the less expensive side, and include pendants, straws, stir sticks. Some customers request memorial pieces which include ashes or images of loved ones.
Trevor hopes to bring his equipment to the market to provide a demonstration of the creative process in the future. To learn more, drop by the Frequency Glass booth or visit the Facebook page at Frequency.glass. KG
