Glassblowers: are they pyromaniacs or artists? It's hard to say, but Devin Somerville and Paul Stephan, owners of the new Riverwest gallery called Ring of Fire, are probably both.
The two friends opened the studio (833 E. Center St.) on February 8, 2002 and since then, have spent 12 to 20 hours a day in their new space. The storefront, sublet from Front Room Photography, serves as a retail space where they display and sell their work. The back room, adorned with graffiti art on the walls and cloth "gravity flowers" hanging from the ceiling, is where most of the work -- and the play -- happens. It's become a way of life for Devin and Paul: playing Nintendo, listening to records on their turntables, hanging out with friends (many of whom are also artists), and most of all, blowing glass.
The art of glassblowing dates back to the ancient Egyptian times, but was revolutionized in Italy during the 1500s. This art form is still popular in Italy today.
Specifically, Devin and Paul's mastered form of glassblowing is called lamp work, which began in the 1800s. This process involves shaping tubes of Pyrex glass by intermittently burning them with 3000-degree torches and blowing into them like a balloon. Color can be added by drawing designs with pieces of burning-hot, colored glass.
Safety goggles are not fashionable, but definitely necessary, because, in the words of Johnny Cash, "it burns, burns, burns ... "
Yes, the Man in Black's music was indeed the impetus for the shop's name. "We were sitting in my basement, drinking beer and listening to Johnny Cash. The song came on, and it just seemed like the perfect name for our place," Paul says.
Both guys live in Riverwest, not far from their gallery. "I appreciate the diversity of people here," Devin says.
Devin, 25, and Paul, 26, have created thousands of beautiful, useful glass pieces, including pens, letter openers, belt buckles, salt and pepper shakers, shot glasses, martini glasses, pint glasses, ashtrays and long bratwurst-shaped objects that Paul calls "massagers."
On the flip side, both blowers are proud of their "less useful" pieces, too. Paul made a scepter that he describes as "intricate and royal, but absolutely useless." Devin created a 4-foot glass lion fish that recently sold to a collector in Madison for $4,000. (Don't let this price discourage you from visiting -- most of their pieces sell for much less.)
{INSERT_RELATED}Both of the artists are almost completely self-taught. After a short stint in computers, Paul went to Massachusetts for a week to stay with a friend of a friend who was a glassblower. "I paid him an exorbitant amount of money and he gave me shoddy lessons," he laughs. Devin, who worked at an aquarium in Green Bay for five years, learned his current livelihood by spending time watching a friend blow glass in Racine.
Although their workspace appears well ventilated, one still might wonder if there are adverse health risks involved. "Next question," Paul says, dismissing the inquiry. Later, he lights a hand-rolled cigarette off one of the fiery torches.
"People go to a bonfire and just stare at the fire," Paul says. "Working with flame is really mesmerizing. It makes me focus and forget about everything else."
For more information, check out their Web site at ringoffireglass.com.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
