When I am not exploring all the amazing things to do in Hendricks County, I love to travel all over the world, and Venice is my absolute favorite destination! This unique floating Italian city is well known for its beautiful blown glass.
But you don't have to travel overseas to see a master artisan at work making breathtaking blown glass!
At Hot Blown Glass in Clayton, Indiana you can watch with amazement as one-of-a-kind pieces of art take shape. You can even try your own hand at this centuries-old form of art.
The Artist
Lisa Pelo owns and operates Hot Blown Glass. Her life of creating art began more than 30 years ago when she attended Bowling Green State University.
Her art has developed and changed over the years, but she has always been drawn to the gorgeous color spectrum to choose from with blown glass. For Lisa, glasswork is all about how color and light respond as she layers dynamic and transparent color palettes to create her impressive designs.
She recently delved into multi-media art that fuses blown glass and steel. Her glass art takes on many different shapes, forms and sizes, including both functional and decorative pieces.
Lisa is both an artist and a teacher as she enjoys sharing her skills with novices looking to make their first pieces of blown glass as well as trained artisans hoping to create their next unique masterpieces.
Hot Blown Glass Studio
Lisa started her Hot Blown Glass business back in 2006, while teaching out of the Indianapolis Art Center. So many people wanted to get in on the creative fun that she found she lacked both time and space to work on her own art.
So 15 years ago she opened her own studio on the back half of her property in Clayton. Creating blown glass requires an array of specialized equipment and furnaces, and Lisa took her time building a space that allows her to create and also teach others.
Creating blown glass involves wielding a 5-foot-long blow pipe and accessory tools to shape, pull and blow on molten glass. The furnace runs constantly throughout the process, reaching over 2,000 degrees.
Colors are added as the artist manipulates the glass to create both functional and nonfunctional works of art.
Demonstrations and Workshops
It takes years to become proficient at creating blown glass, but no one should let that intimidate them from giving this art form a try.
Lisa offers year-round glass demonstrations and workshops at her private studio in Clayton and even glassblowing demonstrations at events with her mobile studio.
See firsthand how Lisa creates glass art, or better yet, have that bucket-list experience of creating your own blown glass item. Because her studio is private, demonstrations and workshops must be reserved in advance. No walk-ups are allowed.
Participating in a workshop where you make your own art piece may sound intimidating, but Lisa guides you through the immersive, hands-on experience, with plenty of safety instructions. All you need is some hand-eye coordination and good listening skills...then just allow yourself to relax and focus.
Workshop prices start at $58 per person and typically last 2 hours.
Popular beginner items include paperweights, ornaments or pumpkins. The ideal class size is between 1-6 people, and the recommended age is 10 and up.
Purchase Hot Blown Glass Items
Interested in purchasing Lisa's glasswork? You can find her creations here in Hendricks County at Gallery on the Square and the Bread Basket Cafe in Danville. Numerous artisan shops in Indianapolis, Carmel and Nashville, Indiana, also sell her work.
Lisa can also work with you to create custom pieces to match your decor and budget.
Instagram and Facebook are also a great way to learn more about Hot Blown Glass and see some of Lisa's latest creations. For even more information check out her website.
