highdesertobservatory

04/30/2026

So excited to teach Perfumery and Glass-Cast Vessels this summer at !

PERFUMERY AND GLASS-CAST VESSELS
June 14–27

This class will introduce the process of casting hollow-core glass vessels and the fundamentals of fragrance construction. Part one of the class will introduce the process of creating cast glass vessels using an adaptation of the core-forming process. Techniques covered will include basic hollow-core mold making, wax sculpting, and firing schedule development. The second section of the course will guide students through perfume formulation, structure, material families, extraction processes, and blending. Participants will work with aroma molecules and high quality botanical essences. Each student will leave with their own custom blended alcohol based perfume and cast glass vessel.

The histories of perfume and glass have been intertwined since their inception in the ancient world. In addition to technical demonstrations, this workshop will explore the historical and conceptual intersections between glass and perfume. The class will discuss contemporary artists who fuse olfaction, glass, and mixed media within their work such as Sissel Tolaas, Katie Paterson, and Candice Lin.

Readings and screenings will include excerpts from Fragrant by Mandy Aftel, Ancient Glass by R.A. Grossmann, and Perfume on the Radio by the Institute of Art and Olfaction. Assignments will include sculpting a vessel using shape, color, and ornamentation to reveal or conceal the vessel’s contents and create a perfume that tells a story through its ingredients.

*This course is available for college credit through School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Visit www.ox-bow.org to register!

04/22/2026

Kiln-formed Glass Plates & Coasters
May 17, 1 pm - 4 pm

Join .endo at for an introduction to kiln-forming! During this course you will learn the basics of kiln-formed glass (also call fusing) while designing and making your very own functional glass plate or duo of coasters. Students will learn about glass cutting, glass colors, the fundamentals of fusing, and the subtlety of slumping (shaping the glass through heat). All materials and tools will be provided. Finished projects will be available for pick-up a few days after the course ends. Shipping may be arranged.

No previous experience is necessary.
Participants age 14+ are welcome. Parents or guardians must sign up alongside participants under the age of 18.

04/21/2026

Earlier this month, HDO’s invited students in the Intro to Stained Glass course at Bowling Green State University to participate in a short collaborative design-build challenge connected to their recent ExAiR residency at

Working in teams during a three-hour session, students designed and fabricated a series of stained-glass stands to support a custom steam distillation unit created with glass artist Emily introduced the structural prompt and project context, and students developed their responses using stained-glass techniques they were learning in the course with their instructor

The stands now function as part of the distillation structure installed in the Social Studio at

Participating students: Willow Metcalf, Sophia Crom, David Heath, Sophia Stringer, Matthew McCrae, Sydney Wiechman, Cassandra Rhodes, Keaton Beaverson, Evan Thompson, Kass Fynch, Olivia Hershberger, Alexis Stringer, Sonia Whitehead, Elizabeth Carney, Sage Martinez, Olivia Reincke, Attlie Bailey

Special thanks to for facilitating and supporting the project, and to the students for being game to jump into a quick collaborative design-build experiment together!

And thank you to .gluszak for making this project happen!

04/20/2026

During a recent visit to Bowling Green State University’s glass program, we shared a short Carrier Vessel project with students exploring solid perfume as a portable container for scent, memory, and atmosphere.

For this exercise, participants brought small hand-sized vessels made from glass, stone, ceramic, shell, and metal that could safely hold warm wax. Each vessel was filled with a solid perfume designed to release gradually through touch and time, treating fragrance as something carried with the body rather than contained at a distance.

The prompt draws from Ursula K. Le Guin’s Carrier Bag Theory, which proposes the container as one of our earliest cultural technologies - a structure for holding gathered materials, stories, and relationships. Here, the vessel becomes a small carrier for atmosphere that unfolds slowly through handling and use.

We’re especially interested in short prompt-based exercises like this that invite participants to think through scale, portability, and material meaning while working across glass and scent together.

Images: participants working on their carrier vessels + a pages from the prompt booklet.

04/20/2026

Desert horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos)
So special to spot these little triceratops today at Pioneertown Mountain Preserve.

04/19/2026

Sunday hike through Pioneertown Mountain Preserve.

04/19/2026

Just got back from a fantastic visit to Bowling Green State University’s Glass Department! Here are some photos from a frit-tinting workshop with , led by Emily.

A huge thank you to for their generous donation of materials - together we created a comprehensive color sample set for the department while exploring frit tinting and an introduction to pâte de verre processes. ✨

04/19/2026

Desert indigo

04/19/2026

04/07/2026

This week at join for a series of workshops and public programs exploring scent and distillation!

Event Schedule:
April 8 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Natural Fragrance Collecting (SOLD OUT) Maywood Environmental Park, Sheboygan, WI

April 9 | 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Gallery Walk & Distiller Demo
John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI

April 11 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Fragrance Creation Workshop (SOLD OUT)
John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI

Register online at www.jmkac.org