Glass provides a resting place for wine, eveningwear for Cinderellas, and a more dramatic exit from 44th-floor windows for Bruce Willises. Shatter artistic inhibitions with today’s Groupon: for $85, you can give the gift of a glass-blowing package at Boise Art Glass (a $170 value). The package includes:
- 60-minute glass-blowing class (a $150 value)
- A handmade ornament (a $20 value)<p>
Customers can also pick up their ornament in-store along with a gift certificate for the 60-minute class to give as a gift to a friend, family member, or favorite nesting hen.
The fine artists at Boise Art Glass delight melted-sand enthusiasts with 60-minute private classes that guide one or two students through the delicate process of crafting a vivid paperweight, small bowl, cup, or holiday gifts. The arty duo or lone learner can arrive at the impressive and warm studio dressed in comfortable clothes or Santa costumes to meet glass master Filip Vogelpohl for a quick tour of the facility before settling into a work bench. Wielding metal pipes and tucked securely within safety equipment, students mold and shape soft glass within the furnace, blowing delicate bowls, mugs, or sundry other silicate baubles that induce yuletide cheer. Infuse the clear glass with the colors of your choice, crafting brilliant red wine glasses or life-size replicas of the yellow sun. Before or after the artistic exploration, guests peruse the bountiful selection of handmade ornaments, selecting a colorful spotted orb to hang on Christmas boughs
Boise Art Glass
Prague-born Filip Vogelpohl kindled his passion for glass blowing within his Boise home garage. As his knack for flame-working increased, Vogelpohl left the garage and traveled the world, honing his craft under the tutelage of internationally renowned glass blowers. Now, Vogelpohl welcomes fledgling glass blowers into his studio for small group classes. He also invites spectators to watch the studio's artists as they shape molten glass and borosilicate into jewelry or vases, which then go up for sale in the gallery. On the first Thursday of every month, the furnaces keep firing until 9 p.m. during free glass-blowing demonstrations as a part of the First Thursday Art Walk.