“Glass is such a great medium,” said Trish Vermillion. “I just love the way light plays off it.”

Trish and her husband Tom, founders of Sandfire Studio in Niceville, see the creation of their art not so much a profession, but rather an “advocation.”

“I don’t think of myself as an artist” Trish said. “There are so many more talented people out there that it is humbling.”

The mostly self-taught glassmakers decided to pursue their interest in glassworks following a visit to Fusion Gallery where they were totally entranced by the beauty of glass. After three years of experimentation and several seminars, they enrolled in an intense short course at the Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass. That short time in New York was the beginning of the Vermillions’ sand and fire odyssey.

Keeping their production small Trish said they usually only do “onesies.” They never wanted to mass-produce their works.

“We don’t expect to make millions, but we love creating with glass. When a customer admires our work and is willing to spend their money to have it; it is very rewarding,”
she added.

Through trial and error, periodic classes, and instructional books, they slowly were able to craft glass bowls, basins, plates and vases of extraordinary beauty.

“We had to throw away a whole year’s worth of work as we learned.” Trish said. “You never are sure exactly how a piece will turn out until you open the kiln and see it.”

Many Sandfire pieces are created through a technique called “slumping.” During this method, pieces of glass – often of differing colors fused together – are set over a mold and heated until they soften. As the piece gets hotter, and the glass more pliant, it “slumps” down over the mold. The difficulty comes in not letting it cool too quickly or too slowly, causing the glass to crack.

The kilns used at Sandfire Studios can heat glass as hot as 2,000 degrees. Most of their flame-worked pieces are annealed in the 900-degree range. Fusing occurs somewhere between 1,400 and 1,600 degrees, depending on the type of glass used. But no matter the temperature that telltale “tic” of a piece cracking is still frustrating.

Retired from military life and finding themselves with an empty nest, the Vermillions were ready to try new things, to explore art for arts’ sake. They are still looking for new adventures and hope to pursue new avenues in glass.

“There is so much we haven’t tried yet,” Trish said. She added that Sandfire Studios is hoping to add new techniques in blasting, sculpting, bead making and even china painting to their repertoire.

Sandfire Studios has an exhibit of works on display at the Niceville Library through the Local Color Artists Club.