Robin's Ramblings: Corning Glass Adventure

I have found that most times, things that are unexpected and unplanned end up being the most enjoyable. This was definitely the case on a recent road trip. Although the planned trip was to Corning, our "off the beaten track" adventure was indeed memorable. More on that next blog.

My friend and I had been looking forward to a trip to Corning N.Y. We researched the Corning Glass Museum and were excited to learn of some of the workshops available.

We signed up for evening classes. My friend wanted to make a flamework pendant, https://www.cmog.org/visit/make-your-own-glass/pendant
and I decided on a fusing clock project to use as a gift, since my hubby likes clocks, and our anniversary was near.
https://www.cmog.org/visit/make-your-own-glass/clock

We arrived in time for our classes and were given appropriate safety equipment and goggles. I got to pick a background for my clock and I selected black. I was disappointed by the lack of instruction and although I had made a template of how I wanted my clock to look, it was not doable. There were small containers filled with coloured glass scraps, some transparent and some solid. I was to glue my design for fusing. There was no choice about where the clock dial was to go.

My friend was somewhat more successful with her pendant. It will be mailed to her because it wasn't ready on the next day.

Some of the glass pieces I attached to my clock disappeared into the black background and left lumps once they were fused. I was forced to use random bits and chips of glass...no two pieces alike and I did the best I could. I picked up the finished product the next day and was most disappointed. Someone said it looked "whimsical". I decided to go with that description. So much for my planned template.

We had read about the "Gaffer District" of Corning. It consisted of a few blocks of historical buildings on Market Street. The day was lovely, the architecture was interesting, there were a few gift shops and some restaurants but mostly we saw the storefronts used for insurance companies, real estate, and the like. What wasn't disappointing was the Corning Outlet Store on Pine St. There were some truly amazing bargains.

Another historical building was the Rockwell Museum, complete with charging buffalo.

We toured the Corning Glass Museum after returning in the afternoon to retrieve my clock. I immediately recognized this pieces near the entrance as Dale Chihuly creations, having seen his works at the Oklahoma Museum of Art, and the Royal Ontario Museum. The various rooms within the museum were well appointed and set up to exhibit artworks through the ages.