ISLA GLASS!

The morning started out shrouded in fog!

 7:15am -- WHERE'S THE BOAT?

 8:30am...starting to clear, or am I hallucinating?

 10:00am...WAIT, I can see the other side of the bay!

11:20am...TA-DAAAA!  This is how the rest of the day was!

The fog was so thick that the ferries were sounding their horns all morning and the first Kenmore Air plane didn't come into the bay until noon!

I then went to the studio:

 Studio frontage...

...with a cute little sitting area off to the side that overlooks the bay.  Idyllic!

Rahman was working all morning, making his signature piece, the conch shell.  His inspiration was a trip to Hawaii, where he saw the shells in their natural form.

 Working the glass in its raw form...

Handshaping it into its final form...

 The conch, each one a different color and size.  This one is $96.00, and I sold one today!

YAY!

Rahman also makes beautiful stemware, vases, nesting pieces, one-of-a-kind cups, whale figurines (he is associated with Sea Shepherd), and other ocean creatures.  

Dixie, I thought of you today!  Keep up your awesome glass-fusing!

View of the entry to the studio, taken from the guest seating area. 

Just some of the items on display. 

A nesting set. 

Display table, photo taken as you come in the door and facing the seating area. 

Can you see the face? 

What you see as you enter the gallery, a right turn takes you into the studio area.

The work area, as seen from the seating area.  The kiln keeps the raw glass at a steady 2150 degrees.  The oven is to the right, set at 2000 degrees.  The blue kiln is set at 900 degrees and is programmed to slowly cool the pieces over a period of 24 hours.  Any sooner than that, it shatters, as the thinner parts cool faster than the thicker parts.  Rahman's "bench" is across from the oven and that's where the magic begins!

Pooped after my first day!

Tomorrow is the Lopez Farmer's Market, where we will have a stand and I'll post photos of that too!