Alejandro – Originally from Illinois, Alejandro began his journey into glass blowing at an early age and was inspired to move to the epicenter of heady glass. He and his wife are the proud owners of Studio West, a glass blowing studio in the hills of Eugene. Here they not only make decorative glass and smoking devices, but they also teach classes on the art of glass blowing!
Instagram: @obi_handro, @studiowestglass
Growing up in Illinois, I wanted pipes but couldn’t buy them due to the laws so instead, I just started making them. After high school, I decided to join the military and through their financial and educational support, I eventually went to school to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art for glass blowing. I had taken a glass blowing class prior to obtaining a degree and while I was in this class, the instructor said that Eugene was the place to be for glass smoking devices. After finishing the military and my schooling, I knew I wanted to make a career out of glass blowing.
When I decided to finally make the move to Eugene, my wife and I saw a glass studio available for sale so we went for it. This studio was named Studio West and had been focused more on the decorative glass like cups, bowls, orbs, ornaments and other decorative pieces like memorial glass. We continued the production of decorative glass pieces, but to help supplement the business we also make glass pipes, bongs, chillums and other glass smoking devices. In addition to making and selling hand-blown glass, we also teach classes at our studio to help you make your own hand-blown glass.
Having been in the military there are still some things I deal with, and having an art form such as glass blowing really helps support me emotionally and financially. Being able to work in a stress-free environment is very important to me because of the potential triggers of societies. This art form has allowed me to make my own career path and not be confined to a situation outside of my comfort zone.
