{"id":56789,"date":"2017-05-11T09:55:32","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T13:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uncommongoods.com\/?p=56789"},"modified":"2018-05-08T10:42:55","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T14:42:55","slug":"inside-the-artists-studio-with-carrie-and-patrick-frost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/2017\/inside-the-artists-studio-with-carrie-and-patrick-frost\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Artists’ Studio with Carrie and Patrick Frost"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Carrie and Patrick Frost<\/a> in their Mantua, OH, studio; photos by Cassie Tweten Delaney and N\u00e9Quana\u00a0Rollings<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cGlass is full of magic,\u201d Patrick Frost told me as he and his wife Carrie began the tour of their Mantua<\/a>, Ohio, home with an introduction to their impressive collection of glass pieces from around the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

As Patrick carefully handled one of the handmade glass objects, he explained that it was created by a master glassblower he\u2019d trained with years before. The glassblower was very old, but after 60 years practicing his craft, he still loved his art, because he believed in the magic of glass.<\/em><\/p>\n

Patrick said that he too is enchanted by the way glass moves, interacts with light, and almost mesmerizes. The Frosts<\/a> continued to tell the stories behind many of the pieces in the collection (which takes up an entire wall and then some in their living room), and it became clear that both Patrick and Carrie are sincerely passionate about every part of the glassmaking process\u2014from the first drops of molten material, through firing and turning and blowing, all the way up to opening the oven and seeing the cooled, finished piece for the first time.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Carrie making the Sham-Rock Glass<\/a>, check out a video of the this glass getting made here<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

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As enthusiastically as the Frosts spoke about glass, their love of the process and material itself came through even more when it was time to get hands-on. After showing my travel buddy N\u00e9Quana<\/a> and me their home (but before the tour of Mantua\u2014a vibrant village with just over 1000 residents), the Frosts took us out to their studio and gave us a step-by-step looks at how they make some of their most popular products. And, as if the tutorial wasn\u2019t enough to convince us that the process really is something special, that afternoon they let us actually try making magic ourselves.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the spacious–and very warm–studio with furnaces blazing and torches flickering, N\u00e9Quana and I each had a turn giving glassmaking a go. (Yes, it is as fun as it looks.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Watching the Frosts at work and then getting to handle a hot pipe and my own ball of molten goo was truly one of those<\/em> I can\u2019t believe this is actually my job experiences. And while I know that reading this post isn\u2019t quite the same as being there, I hope you\u2019re able to feel a little of that glass magic as you read on.<\/em><\/p>\n

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What are your most essential tools?<\/h5>\n

Patrick:<\/em> Endurance, creativity, perseverance, teamwork, and community.<\/p>\n

*Editor’s note: Check out our 2015 interview with the Frosts<\/a> to learn more about the human element required for the kind of glasswork they produce. According to Patrick, “There are things that can only be done by hand that a machine cannot replicate and that is what makes it special.”<\/em><\/p>\n