Spotlight on Darrel Grant
My name is Darrell Grant. I have been doing glass off and on for a long time. For me glass is a “serious hobby” and thankfully not something I need to monetize. I like learning new skills and techniques but the joy would not be the same if I needed to make stuff to sell.
I consider my parents to have been crafty. My mother did a lot of quilting, knitting, and crochet. My father was an excellent carpenter. My mother taught me how to knit starting at about age 7, but I never pursued that. I did a lot of 3-D string art in high school, and during later education I took occasional courses in drawing, wheat weaving, Ukrainian Easter Eggs (pysanka), and stained glass.
In terms of education, I was always drawn to the sciences which led to a B.Sc. degree in biology, then a master’s program in hormonal plant physiology which was interrupted when I was accepted into medical school. After that a family medicine residency and an extra year of emergency medicine training.
Medical education is pretty all-consuming and I had put on a back burner almost all other personal pursuits. Once I finished my formal education, I was pondering what I wanted to do and I found out there was a full-time Crafts program about 45-minutes away at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. I had always been fascinated by glass in general and in glass blowing specifically and they let me enroll half-time, so technically I went to “Art School” for a few years.
I got to experience courses in blowing, casting, kiln work, engraving, drawing, photography and design, but they did not have any lampworking at that time. The blown glass bowls I made during that time I called my “thousand-dollar bowls” taking into account the tuition and other expenses. That was in pre-digital photography days, so I have minimal photographic evidence of that period.
I got married and we had two kids. Life got busy and my “art school experience” ended. Years later I was at an open house at Sheridan College and found out they had a new lampworking studio, and I was able to do a summer two-week course.
I was hooked. It was mostly boro and off mandrel but my previous hot shop experience helped tremendously. We only did soft glass beads during the last three days and I still have some of those beads.
The next step was to buy a torch, oxygen concentrator and a kiln. I generally told people I couldn’t do glass blowing in my basement but lampworking was very doable. Work and family life was busy but I live between Corning, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Buffalo, where there are studios where I was able to take courses. I generally took a week-long course each summer. I referred to it as going to summer camp and I would offer to show people the crafts I had made at summer camp. I do not pretend to be self taught as I have taken classes from as many glass people as I could.
Practice makes perfect and that would be my weakness. After doing a week-long class, I would have to get back to work and all the things that keep us busy. My progress as a lampworker wasn’t as fast as it could have been, but I love learning new things and glass provided the creative outlet that was a break from my daily work life.
World wide pandemic and lockdowns obviously changed the opportunities for in person classes but the upside is that we all got used to Zoom meetings and most instructors started offering virtual classes. Of course, it isn’t the same but it has made learning new techniques much more affordable.
I am also very thankful that The Glass Dragons used the opportunity to expand from Florida and now have members all over the world. It is a great way to connect with other glass people. I was able to participate in one of the “Artist Way” groups a couple of years ago and I regularly participate in the book club group.
I do my lampwork mostly in the winter as my summer hobby is gardening. I publicly post my lampwork and garden photos on my Facebook page, so if you wish, you can check that out without having to send a friend request. I’m not sure where my glass journey is taking me, but I always say, “It isn’t the destination, It’s the journey” and it has been a great journey so far.
