I am Ender Eroglu, a seasoned engineer based in San Jose, CA. I started glassblowing as a hobby in early 2024, but it quickly became an important aspect of my life. I took my family to a one-time glassblowing experience at BAGI in December of 2023. My son and I liked it so much that we decided to take glassblowing classes and started in January 2024 with our first four-weeks class. Throughout the year, we took more classes and practiced at the hotshop as much as we could. Since late 2024, I am a renter at the BAGI working towards developing my skills and inventory.

Glassblowing, like all art forms, has infinite possibilities. I like the fact that it also relies on physics and chemistry. Most of the skills in shaping the glass depends of laws of physics. Colors are obtained by complex chemical processes that mix metal oxides. Trying to understand the science behind the work is intriguing for my scientific interests.

I experiment with combining colors, pulling and using cane, reusing small or large shards from failed projects and shaping them all to whatever I fancy that day. I also get ideas from social media which is again intriguing because most artists share portions of their work and leave some aspects of the process to themselves. So, figuring out how to make something similar becomes a puzzle to solve.

Shaping a bowl while my son blows the glass.

Although a one person operation is possible, glassblowing is done best with one or more associates. This helps with both manual work and exchange of ideas. I work with my son and other renters at the studio and we take turns helping each other. So, even though I am the creator of my pieces, there is almost always the contribution of another artist.

By the end of 2024, it was clear to me that I want to dedicate a good portion of my ever shrinking personal time to glassblowing and it needs to become a business to be sustained. I setup this site to promote the sales of my art, but I need to make it clear that I do have a very demanding day (and many late nights) job an it must continue to be my highest priority. So, please understand if I am not prompt in my response at times.