From Ash To Glass: Creating At Ignis Glass Studio
Chris Mosey of Ignis Glass Studio discuss the companies history, services, and where it stands today
There is something innately fascinating about glassblowing. The way that globs of dangerously hot liquid that resembles nothing like their final product can be crafted through the flow of air itself. The craft radiates this sense of delicateness and mastery. Yet, there is a place right here in Chattanooga where it is taking place.
Since the early 2000’s Chris Mosey has been running Ignis Glass Studio and offering glass blowing services to the Chattanooga area. Mosey first became interested in the craft through the Appalachian Center For Crafts, an arts program through Tennessee Tech University. Originally he focused more on creating for craft shows, but in 2008 he began focusing the business more on creating jewelry, sculptures, and other pieces.
“The housing collapse almost made us have to quit,” Chris shared. “I took business classes though and decided to minimax the business. We moved downtown and that’s when I started focusing more on the glass blowing classes and services.”
The services Chris speaks of include of course glass blowing experiences as well as actually creating and selling glassworks for customers. Along with the studio having the actual workshop where classes are taken, it also has a large gallery space of pre-created pieces for customers to purchase. You can find items here ranging from vases and bowls to wall pieces and ornaments of various colors.
One of the most unique services that Ignis Glass Studio offers is the fact that it can incorporate the remains of loved ones into pieces. By mixing ashes in with the glass, they can allow customers to have pieces that memorialize those they love.
“It’s a neat way to remember them,” Mosey said. “Being able to have a colorful paperweight of some sort that has a piece of them.”
The process of creating a glass piece all goes back to the forge, named the ‘glory hole’. By dipping the glass in and out of the glory hole while it is being shaped by the blowing, pieces of different shapes and sizes can be created.
At the moment, Ignis Glass Studios is still active, but in a much more limited way. The business is now only open three days a week and Chris admits that he is no longer working at the same capacity as before. He says that it is only through the continued support from the community that the company is able to stay open despite COVID-19 causing them to lose business.
“We are still doing okay,” Chris assures. “We just gotta keep trying everything that we can to make sure that we survive this.”
Make sure to visit Ignis Glass Studio website to learn more about their unique products and glassblowing services!