When we got into his atelier, various unique-shaped glass artworks captured our eyes. In the backward of the room, Abe-san was making glassware.
It has been 7 years since he came to Ojiro. Now he is exhibiting his works at Crystal Park that opened recently in Izu Highlands, and the works are sold to customers. He made up his mind to take a job of glasswork when he was at high school. He joined a glass company and studied the technique. After that, he came to Ojiro.
He told us that he makes glassware by his ideas. That is, it is difficult to make it from the beginning to the end, so after he gets a glass material from a glass plant, he furnishes it with his ideas and makes the glassware stylish. His glassware includes accessories, pots for aroma therapy, bud vase and other small ornaments. When we saw glass necklaces and pierces of shoes shape, we were impressed by his fine art.
He is making glassware during night and marketing during daytime, which is opposite to the normal timetable. He is drenched with sweat only by making one unit. So it is suitable for him to work at night. Generally, glass can be soft at 1,200℃, but Abe-san waits for more, up to 1,600℃. He touches a glass material with bare hands in order to explore finer decorations. He makes 30 prototypes of new models per year, but only 5 models remain as glassware. It is amazing that more than 150 ideas are needed to make 30 prototypes. Then he explained about the technique of glass artwork, but he said to us, " You cannot understand it unless you do it yourself". Upon hearing his words, we stood up to get ready.
First, Abe-san demonstrated us making of a small ornament angel attached to the top edge of glass sticks (for stirring drinks). Using his hands and a pincette, he made up a tiny glass angel in less than 5 minutes by pulling and cutting glass. We stared with surprise that such a hard glass material was getting soft and changing the shape.
Next, our challenge started! Yuki was the first. After Abe-san helped her to adjust fire strength, she took a fine tube of glass by hands nervously and put it into the fire. After a while, the edges of glass were getting to melt and it was changed into a round ball.
"Now is the time for blowing!", said Abe-san.
Immediately She blew the glass with her full power, but it broke with a vain sound. When we saw the broken pieces of glass, we were amazed with such a thin material that they looked like saran wrappings. After two experiences of breaking, Yuki finally made up a ball. Next is Shinobu to try. As she was looking at Yuki's demonstration, she felt it difficult to do, but she sat in a chair with a spirit and began to blow a tube. When the tube became a shape that she can make a ball, she blew it softly not to break it. But contrary to Yuki, the glass material got hard without expanding. At her second challenge, she blew up strongly, so the glass was broken. By Abe-san's suggestion of using a glass stick instead of a glass tube, we decided to try another thing. Yuki's target was an apple, and Shinobu's was a rabbit. However, it was difficult for us as our first experience, so our products didn't resemble at all to the ones we wanted. If we dare to name them, Yuki's apple looks like a cute dinosaur, and Shinobu's rabbit looks like a stretching cat. When we showed Abe-san and Suzuki-san our definitely unique works, Abe-san said, "What are they?", and Suzuki-san was smiling grimly. For ourselves, they were very lovable apple and rabbit.
Now, glass art is getting popular and it has been introduced on TV or magazines. But it was our first time to see them and experience the making, so it was very fun for us. There are lots of mysterious works in Abe-san's glass art world, so we felt as if we had visited a glass wonder land.