05/25/2019
Meet Andrew, one of our awesome instructors! 😎
"I found glass and it changed my life, there isn’t anything else I’d rather do for the rest of my life. I work every day towards the goal of self-employment and being the best glass blower I can possibly be. "
Andrew began glassblowing in December, 2015 and started working regularly in the spring of 2017. He began glassblowing because he collects functional and nonfunctional glass (whether smoking related or not) and always had a fascination for how they made such items. He found a simple 1 hour soft glass class in Milwaukee at Square One Art and took it.
He immediately fell in love and took more advanced classes up until he moved back to Madison where he started working at Classy Glass (the home of Madison Glass Academy).
Logan Smith took him on as an apprentice of sorts and taught him the fundamentals of lampworking, pipe making and the lesson plan at Madison Glass Academy. He also introduced Andrew to a local studio of self-employed pipe makers. Their knowledge helped Andrew get a bench spot where he now works anywhere from 20 to 40 hours a week building his own functional glass and business.
Andrew is also a full-time art student at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, and will be graduating in December 2019. He works with all forms of glass (soft, neon and borosilicate) and 3D digital animation and modeling. His favorite thing to make is pipes, specifically hammer style pipes and cups. Stop in Classy Glass to see some of his work!
Andrew has been teaching at Madison Glass Academy since the summer of 2016 and has also taught at the University of Wisconsin- Madison in the glass department. He said that he "wants to help beginners in all interest levels try their hand at glass and help them progress in their own skill set to be able to blow glass independently."
When Andrew is not glassblowing, he loves to hang out with his turtle, Tank. 🐢
To schedule a class with Andrew, go to www.madisonglassacademy.com
Use the code PIPE99 for $99 off a pipe making class 😊🤩
