Blenko Glass. Heart of Glass Blog

Little Blower Man Sticker - This sticker was designed to be used on the Regal, Raindrop and Rialto lines. These can be found on other items but were intended for the above lines.

From Blenko Collectors Four

Blenko Glass. Heart of Glass Blog. 'Just How Old Are You? '

Hillery,
    I have read off and on your blog about Blenko Glass for ten years.
Your photo shows no age, in fact its the same photo.
    My question is are you a real person?  If you are will you change the photo to
one that shows a mature 30 something - instead of a college undergrad?
    BTW we were at the gift shop last month.  First time in 3 years.  The place was clean, well organized and looked like a show room instead of a flea market outlet.
Please let the person in charge of marketing know this gift shop is in tip top shape.
    If you have a time, for research,  I would like to learn more about the life after Blenko for
the various designers.  Just a suggestion.
    George D.
     Mooresville NC
George,
    I won't change the photo for blog.   I will research the former Blenko Designers and post.
You are correct I'm over 30.
Recently inducted into the International College of Dentist.  This photo is from their website.  
    Your positive comments about the gift shop are most welcome.   Blenko Glass under the management of Dean Six works hard to make the gift shop, factory and grounds clean and pleasing to the general public.  The late Mr. Walter Blenko and his wife Patti were devoted to upgrading  the gift shop and signage. 
    Thank you for your interest in Blenko Glass,  for collecting Blenko and for your comments.
HJH

Blenko Labels

Block B Blenko Sticker  -  Used from 1982 to 1999. This label was designed by John Nickerson. The orange ball represents the hot glass ball on the end of the blow pipe. The line through the B is the pipe and the B is a mold. These stickers were also used until the supply was depleted.

Blenko Glass . Heart of Glass Blog. BLENKO Cats

CATS!   Blenko employees and the Blenko Family are fond of the Blenko Cats ( half a dozen at any given time). . . can be found on the factory grounds.

New for 2019 - limited availability Gift Shop 

.available in Gift Shop 

.Charcoal Cat by Husted - NOT AVAILABLE - however, my parents are downsizing

and have two ( one green one blue) for rehoming .

Over the years many Glass Cats have been created - door stopper, small ( affordable critters) cats,
a decanter designed by Wayne Husted ( highly collectible) and most recently the water bottle
Cats ( We were told 3-4 of these are available in the Blenko Gift Shop.

       As you know if you follow this blog - Im a dog person - ONE dog for 17 years.  The infamous Miss B.   Well,  Ms B passed away on July 4 2019.   On July 5th I discovered this Russian Blue cat ( I call her,  Zoya) in my yard- she had given birth to two little black fur balls.   

      Since July 5th,  I've been feeding the family,  and searching for the owner.   The ' neighborhood story' seems to be the owner moved to Charlotte.   So now I'm officially a Cat Person ( one who is allergic to cats - so this family will be outdoor cats ) until adoptive parents are found.  

      If you, or your friends are CAT Folks - the whimsical Cat Water Bottle would be an ideal Xmas gift.  You'll want to phone Blenko Glass asap.  

      

BLENKO CELEBRATED CAT!

A Blenko Water Bottle inspired by those independent, fur covered, four legged spirits that often are centerpieces in our lives.   www.blenkoglass.com  

These may NOT be available - but I'd check - they are certainly unique and collectable. 

I own this little beauty - but sadly not in charcoal - from Husted.

Teal Pumpkins! Blenko Glass.

Isn't is AWESOME - that Blenko Glass teamed up with FARE to promote safe trick or treating!

This Halloween season, Blenko is happy to team up with FARE to promote safe trick-or-treating for all children! FARE's Teal Pumpkin Project promotes a safe alternative for food allergy sensitivities by providing an inclusive map where non-food Halloween treats and toys and allergy-friendly candy, which is free of the top 9 allergens (including sesame), are available. A Teal Pumpkin placed on your doorstep is an indicator of this participation.

Explore Blenko's four shapes and sizes to choose from, all blown with our turquoise glass and topped with a solid optic stem. A $5 donation goes towards FARE with each purchase. FARE is a national nonprofit organization with headquarters in McLean, VA.

Find more information about Food Allergy Research & Education HERE
From www.blenkoglass.com

Blenko Discontinued Items - 25% off

WOW - more a couple of these and I am  coveting!

Blenko is  currently creating shelf space for our new items and in doing so we are discontinuing some of our products. We are excited to clear room for our new work which we will be unveiling in the coming weeks and months and we are excited to pass these savings on our discontinued items on to you!  Since items are being discontinued, we will only sell the quantities that we currently have in stock. Check out these items and order while supplies last!

* Message from email / Blenko Glass

shop www.blenkoglass.com

Blenko - From Anderson to Myers - The early years.

This was sent to us by Susan Baldock.  

About Blenko Glass .

A producer of hand-blown glass since 1893, Blenko Glass is currently headquartered in Milton, West Virginia, where it has operated since 1921. Among its many illustrious projects are the stained-glass windows it produced for St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Washington National Cathedral. Blenko is known today for the brilliant colors of its glass vessels and objects—particularly those produced in the 1950s and ’60s—which range from jewel-like blues and greens to brilliant reds and yellows.

The company was founded by William J. Blenko, an English immigrant who was apprenticed to a glassmaker in his native London as a young man. Blenko developed expertise in the production of rondels, the round panes used in stained glass windows. His interest in the potential of natural gas to fire glass furnaces led him to Milton, where abundant reserves of the fuel had attracted a pool of skilled glassblowers. Under the name Eureka Glass, his company began making window glass in 1923, and in 1925, he was joined in the business by his son, William H. Blenko.

When the Great Depression quelled demand for stained glass, William J. Blenko brought local Milton glassblowers into the company to begin producing stem- and tableware, products for which the company, which changed its name to Blenko in 1930, is now best known. Up until the end of World War II, Blenko’s tableware designs were fairly straightforward, and they sold well at American department such as Gump’s, in San Francisco. The company was also commissioned in 1930 to produce a line of reproductions for Colonial Williamsburg.

In 1947, the company hired as its art director Winslow Anderson, who introduced artful, fanciful and modern vessels and objects in vibrant colors. This began what collectors refer to as Blenko’s “historic period.” A number of Anderson’s designs were honored by the Museum of Modern Art’s Good Design Awards in 1950, and throughout the 1950’s and ‘60s, the company enjoyed robust sales and critical acclaim. The forms Blenko produced during this period followed the contemporary vogue for biomorphism, or organic modernism, which favored rounded and fluid shapes inspired by nature.

One of Blenko’s most influential designers, Wayne Husted, who was active from 1953 to ’63, is credited with aligning Blenko’s products with the prevailing mid-century modern aesthetic by pushing the envelope on both form and color, particularly in his wedge-cut and Spool decanters and his Echoes series. Joel Philip Myers, who designed for Blenko in the 1960s, brought a sense of whimsy and visual excess to the product line, in keeping with the psychedelic look favored during the period.

Blenko Glass still produces many of its classic designs in items ranging from stemware and tableware to decorative objects and ornamental decanters. Among collectors, pieces created under Husted’s creative direction are of special interest. The company has come to the attention of younger audiences through the documentaries Blenko: Hearts of Glass and Blenko Retro: Three Designers of American Glass, both of which aired on PBS. Blenko also designed the glass award trophy for the Country Music Awards.

..

FOOT BALL SEASON! BLENKO Has WVU and Marshall logo items

Blenko each year makes the Collegiate logo moonshine jugs.  While I've never known a moonshine maker.  There are Moonshine Tours

Blog Reader Mountain Rita provided this link.

The 8 Best Places To Get Moonshine In West Virginia

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/west-virginia/moonshine-in-west-virginia

 Mountain Mama Moonshine was the first legal moonshine distillery in Logan County, WV. Their Coal Black Cherry moonshine is specially bottled and labeled in tribute to local WV coal miners. Mountain Mama Moonshine provides tours and tastings at their Man, WV facility as well as an opportunity to explore their gift shop for specialty items.

 With or without the actual moonshine - these decanters are a conversation starter - or another way to show your school spirit!

Don't you Love FALL?

Each year the PUMPKINs and Pumpkin Colored Glass gets better.

You'll want to visit www.blenkoglass.com  or drop in to the Milton WVa

gift shop.

When visiting the gift check every shelf - you never know what great one of kind items - you'll find!

Is it too early to announce

THE PUMPKINS ARE COMING!  

Heart of Glass A Blenko Glass Blog The BLENKO GLASS Fish

.While I don't own a Blenko Glass  5433.  I've always admired this design.   While I  prefer the fish in crystal -  this shade of blue is awesome and very much in demand.  

Looking for a special 'gift' for the gal or guy in your life who enjoys fishing?  

5433  Small Blenko Glass Fish