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thePeorian.com
He acquired the furnaces neces-
sary for making glass art, includ-
ing one where glass becomes
molten, another kept above 1,000
degrees as the glass is shaped and
colored and a third for bringing
the finished product slowly to
room temperature.
“You know, you leave the
Midwest and go someplace else
and it doesn’t take long to real-
ize you don’t rhyme with a lot
of people. You appreciate more
where you’re from, things you
take for granted until you leave
for a while. Things like cost of
living and even values. If not for
Peoria’s values and mentality, I
am not so sure I would have suc-
ceeded,” he said.
It hasn’t been easy, he added.
Another key to his success was
his timing; he started the busi-
ness when it was a good time
for artists, especially those with
a specialty people wanted, such
as glass art. “But don’t get me
wrong. This last recession? It was
horrible. Glass artists are on an
endangered species list,” he said.
Toraason said while skill is im-
portant, luck is involved as well.
“I know a lot of glass makers who
I think are much more talented
than I am who haven’t been as
lucky,” he said.
Another necessity is knowledge
about making glass and glass
art from the scientific aspect.
“Everything about it is scientific,
including chemistry,” he said.
It can also be dangerous, said
Bart Grawey, who was assist-
ing Toraason on the day of the
interview. He was talking largely
about the heat of the special
ovens used to heat the glass,
with temperatures topping 1,300
degrees this day as Toraason
made a large plate using clear
glass colored by ground glass in
which he rolled a heated glass
ball eventually shaped by hand
into a green plate.
But Grawey was also talking
about the glass dust that would
be prevalent in the air if “proper
studio etiquette” wasn’t followed.
“Vacuum the studio, don’t just
sweep, because that dust will just
move around and still get into
your lungs. And once it gets in
there, it doesn’t come out,” he
said.
Toraason said safety is one of
the first items on his agenda with
each job and is practiced without
fail in the studio. “Safety has to be
top priority. It would be too easy
to get hurt in here if you aren’t
careful,” he said.
Watching Toraason and
Grawey work together was like
watching ball players who just
know what each is going to do
next. “We get into a routine when
we do this so we are able to com-
municate without words. We just
know what the other is going to
do next and we’re there to assist,”
Grawey said. “It’s the same with
making sure we practice safety.”
“Glass is not a medium you
can do on your own,” Toraason
said. “Here, we are very team
oriented.”
Once Toraason started mak-
ing the plate, the pair constantly
moved from the furnace to a
table where ground glass was
poured to a bench where the rod
on which the piece of art is taking
shape is rolled back and forth, a
motion that is necessary to keep
the molten glass from dropping
off the end of the rod to the floor.
Teamwork was necessary when
Toraason needed to transfer the
original piece of glass from one
rod to another. He needed to use
drops of water and a precise tap
or two on the glass to separate it
from one to allow Grawey to take
it onto the other.