Ohio man brings glass art to area
When Steven Vlasich discovered a fascination with fire more than three decades ago, he began a course that would lead him into a career that he loves. At the age of 9, Vlasich said he began learning the art of glass blowing from his father. The process entails taking a solid glass rod ranging in width from 2 mm to 1 inch and using a flame from a propane oxygen tank ranging in heat from 1,800 to 2,200 degrees to melt and form the rod.
A piece can take from 10 minutes to all day to complete.
“It’s a fun life. I don’t have a boss, and I get paid to play,” Vlasich said.
“I’m never going to get rich, but in my own mind I’m richer than most,” he added. For Vlasich a typical day can include creating some roses, a dragon and a spider with a web.
The Circleville, Ohio, man said he began creating sculptures about a year after his father started learning the craft. The thought of creating a piece of artwork from a solid glass rod wasn’t what attracted Vlasich, however.
“I started just because I wanted to play in fire,” he said. In the beginning, the pieces were a little difficult to recognize.
“I started making birdbaths,” Vlasich said. “My mother has a few pieces she still has to tell me what they are.”
Unlike an occupation that requires a college degree, most of Vlasich’s skills have been self-taught. When his father began, Vlasich said he was given a few lessons. After that, it became a labor of love. In the beginning, Vlasich worked with his father, but now he is solo. Although the two have different styles, they were able to co-exist.
But after taking a break to raise his three children as a single father and getting out of the glass business for a time, Vlasich said he started working solo when he took it up again.
For most of the year, Vlasich travels to art shows and festivals. During the Christmas season, he normally spends a month near his hometown inside a mall. This year, his travels brought him to the Uniontown Mall for two weeks. He said in January and February, he will mostly spend time creating stock for next year’s events.
Vlasich said he prefers having his glass at shows as opposed to having a shop because with a shop, he would have to have set hours. Although he does a lot of custom work, Vlasich said he prefers to create mythical creatures.
“My favorites are dragons,” he said.
When he starts sculpting, there is no set process, but 30 years of creating comes into play. Despite creating what could be called works of art, Vlasich said he doesn’t consider himself an artist.
“I failed art class,” he said. “I’m a glass sculptor, I do glass well. I’ve done clay and wood but this is where my passion is. I am a pyro at heart,” Vlasich said.
As a way to keep costs down, Vlasich said he uses clear glass and then adds color by using a lacquer-based stain. When he was raising three children alone, Vlasich said he spent time developing fire rates for an insurance company and a route salesman for Frito Lay as a way to have insurance.
When the children were older, he got back into his passion.
“I’ve probably made between 10,000 and 15,000 pieces,” he said.
Ironically, Vlasich only has a few pieces in his home, and none of them are dragons. Among the select pieces is the top from his wedding cake. He said his wife also makes requests from time to time.
“Every once in a while, one comes off the torch she has to have,” he said.
As a way to keep from being competitive with his father, who still works, Vlasich said he won’t do shows that his father does. While Vlasich was setting up shop in Uniontown, his father was in Martinsburg, W.Va.
“My dad is more serious. I still play,” he said.
A self-proclaimed kid at heart, Vlasich is now enjoying grandchildren. He has three grandchildren and two on the way and creates Christmas ornaments for each of them.
Despite the stints at “normal jobs,” Vlasich said he has no plans to stop producing the glass sculptures.
“This is probably how I’ll end up,” he said, admiring a train Christmas ornament he sculpted for one of his grandchildren.