by Marcella Ortega
Daily Lobo
For Niles Mahlman, the most attractive aspect of glassblowing is the danger.
"I like not being able to touch what I'm working on and knowing that at any minute, it could explode on me or challenge me in ways that humble me," he said.
Mahlman teaches glassblowing at Studio Broadway on 1814 Broadway Blvd. S.E. Glassblowing is the technique of forming molten-liquid glass into shapes by melting it with a torch and blowing it through a tube.
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Most of Mahlman's students are from charter high schools and receive credit for taking his classes.
"I've had some amazing students come in with really off-the-wall ideas," he said. "One of my students came in, and I was showing him some marbles and real traditional glass stuff. He was like, 'I want to make a glass flea.' He literally wanted to make a glass flea - as small as could be, as detailed as it could be. That's what he wanted, and it was really interesting to me."
Mahlman said he wanted to teach glassblowing because he had a difficult learning experience.
"The people I was working with wanted to charge a lot of money," he said. "It was kind of silly. I don't want other people to have to deal with that. I would just like to be honest with it and show people and share the knowledge. It's so much nicer that way."
Mahlman studied glassblowing in North Carolina and Australia.
He said it takes a certain person to be a glassblower.
"That's really what got me going was seeing the big community of people with this common passion," he said. "We all like to play with fire. We all like to melt glass. We all like to make art. It was really inspiring."
Mahlman said the most difficult part of blowing glass is the
frustration that comes with it.
"With the glass, you can get really good at it," he said. "You can feel really confident. Then you are into this piece, and it breaks, and you're like, 'Oh, I was wrong.' And that's awesome. That's learning. That's progress through struggle."
Mahlman said glass is forgiving because someone working with it can melt a mistake and start over.
"You don't really waste your material, but it just requires a lot of concentration and patience with yourself," he said.
Mahlman said glassblowing is a good way for young people to explore their artistic abilities, even if they are attracted to making pipes at first.
"When you start seeing all the different stuff you can make with the material, the making pipes sort of fades to the back," he said. "Then you are like, 'Wow, I can make anything.'"
Mahlman, who rents Studio Broadway to host his classes, said he would like to buy it and offer more classes in the future.
"It's one of those things that requires a lot of discipline," he said. "It's worth every moment."
Colin Bridge / Daily Lobo
Mahlman adds the finishing shapes to a glass ornament Saturday at Studio Broadway.
