An odyssey in glass arts
FRANCIS RACINE francis.racine@eap.on.ca
!e thought that he would be creatingmas- terpieces out of liquid glass never even crossed Eric Covington’s mind during his younger days. At one point in his life, however, the hustle and bustle of life’s stringent requirements all came to an end. “I retired in 2004, that’s when I started rock carving,” he says, grin- ning through his beard. “I had always been a rock collector. !en I turned to carving jade, which is a tedious task.”
But while he loved jade, his !rst experience with glass blowing made quite an impression. “After 20 minutes, I was addicted.”
who’s interested in learning the trade. “We like to have small classes of four people. It’s a great family activity. We also always make sure you’re safe,” he notes. “Glass blowing
is much more than just art,” acknowledges the artist. “It’s an addiction!” Covington’s studio is located at 16 Mill Square and is open to the public.
one else in the room,” he admits. “A bomb could go o$ in my studio and I wouldn’t budge.” !e artist o$ers several classes to eager and curious artists in the making, from his Alexandria studio. “We have kids coming in with ADHD. But when they start glass blowing, they calmdown. It’s as if the ADHD disappears.” !e studio, named Priest Mill Glasswork , is located right o$ the town’s main artery and has been operated and owned by Covington since 2011. “I used to be what they call a weekend warrior, doing glass working on weekends in little places I’d rent,” he highlights. “But one day, I decided I wanted something di$erent. I started looking for a place to rent.” !e artist’s criteria for a suitable work- place included cement #ooring, twelve- foot ceilings as well as its proximity to his residence. !e Alexandria location boasts everything he needed but also more. It fea- tures a showroom, which boasts of several di$erent art pieces. “Although the majority of our showcase is made up of glass-related objects, we also have paintings and many other di$erent art genres,” he notes. “We’re currently working onmaking it into a unique gallery.” !e workplace attracts individuals from here and elsewhere. “We get a lot of people from Toronto and Montreal. But we also welcome individuals from the United States.” Covington also rents out his premises to fellow glass-blowing teachers. “!ey love it, simply because there are a lot of custom tools in there, which they might not own.” !eman, along with other glass blowing experts, teaches small classes to anyone
!e artist explains that the beautiful green material is extremely challenging to work with and that the "nished piece is made to be held, not exposed. “Jade is more of a Zen thing,” he explains. “It’s pretty hard to put on a hard surface after you work a piece. !e bottom is rarely #at.” But while he loved jade, his "rst expe- rience with glass blowingmade quite an im- pression. “After 20minutes, I was addicted.” From there, Covington explains that his mistress, a suitable name he has given to his artistic hobby, takes up a lot of his time. “What I appreciate about working with glass is that, unlike jade, it doesn’t take you over one thousand hours to complete,” he ob- serves. He also stresses that a piece of glass usually has to be "nished in one sitting. “When you start, you must "nish it or else it’s ruined.” But although hemight make it look easy, the artist emphasizes that color, one of the many things that make glass working so popular, is probably the most challenging aspect of its creation. “Every color has a di$erent melting point,” he remarks. “For example, if I work with white and black, I’ll have my work cut out for me. !e black will be nearly all melted but the white will still be hard. Darker colors attract the heat.” When asked how long one must work on a piece in order to have it completed Covington chuckles before answering “seven years and an hour.” Experience is quite an important asset to the genre and so is focus. “When I’mworking on a piece, there’s no
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