ARTIST OF THE WEEK Josh Merritt of JLM Glass Studio. I asked Josh how he became a glass blower.
“I started out as an apprentice to one of Ohio’s great glass artists – John Michael Kahle. I lived close enough to walk to his studio. I did all kinds of work for him and in return he taught me about his art. Then I went to Ohio State. They have a good glass blowing program that really expanded my horizons. A few months ago I moved back to Dayton and set up this studio where I give lessons and teach some classes.”
“Although I’m giving classes, I still feel like a student myself. There’s so much to learn. Last summer I was able to visit Murano, Italy – a place where people have been blowing glass for 700 years. Murano is an island near Venice that people call the Glass Island. The story I heard was that the glass blowers of Venice were sent to the Island of Murano in the 13th century because glass factories sometimes caught fire.”
To learn more about Josh and the classes he’s giving, go tohttps://jlmglass.studio/
