Kansas artist making name turning molten glass into art

KECHI, Kan. -- Like the beginnings of his glass artwork, Hutchinson resident Rick Garnett keeps picking up more material along the way.

Each piece of glass Garnett builds begins as a shapeless blob of molten glass, with the color and consistency of honey, sitting on the end of a blowpipe.

A puff of air expands the piece, filling each glass sculpture with the breath of the artist. Garnett returns to the furnace and dips his rod into the 2,000-plus degree furnace, pulls more material from the flames and adds it to his creation.

Garnett began blowing glass 17 years ago in his brother-in-law Rollin Karg's garage. Like his glass sculptures, Garnett's continued education in the art form depends largely on the pool of knowledge he has amassed from others.

His brother-in-law taught him the trade and encouraged him to expand his boundaries.

He learned from a sculptor, who didn't know much about glass but whose designs Garnett admired.

He picked up some more material from a Hutchinson Community College art professor who told him not to give up on his dreams.

The work of art is heated in the 'glory hole,' a high-temperature heater, after adding the dichroic glass.

He's still adding material from long-dead artists and other glass blowers who travel to Karg Art Glass in Kechi for work.

"I'm still learning," Garnett said. "There's 4,000 years of glass blowing to catch up with. To me, it's exciting that you're that far behind."

After adding enough material to the blowpipe, Garnett works the semisolid material with hand tools -- adding colored glass, punching a hole through the center and twisting the form a little at the base.

Then he heats it again, turning and twisting the sculpture into a double helix.

Once finished with the design, Garnett scores the base of the glass and places it in an annealing oven. There, the piece will sit for several days until the internal and external temperatures stabilize, making the piece safe to handle.

Karg said the score mark is then cut and ground with diamond polishers to a smooth, glassy finish before it's set out on display.

Karg's shop services nearly 200 art galleries throughout the United States. Garnett and Karg also travel to dozens of art shows during the year to display unique pieces.

"I've traveled a lot going to art shows," Garnett said. "There's no other place I'd rather live than Hutchinson. ... If I had a day dream, it'd be to blow glass in Hutch."