Pottery Studio Gets Shiny, New Addition

Paint-A-Piece in Commack is now more than pottery. The do-it-yourself craft store recently added glass fusion its repertoire.

"Our customers are really excited about it," owner Stephanie Giardina said. "We have a number of regulars who have heard of glass fusion, but now they get to try it themselves."

Glass fusion is when layers of colored glass are shaped and melted together to create pieces of art. Instead of blowing the glass, kilns are used to make the glass molten.

Customers at Paint-A-Piece get to cut their own glass, and arrange them to create jewelry, picture frames, sun catchers, night lights and other crafts. For children, the glass is pre-cut and the edges are smoothed.

Before the glass is fused, the pieces look a bit like colorful mosaics. Once the pieces are in place, the glass goes through a series of firings in the studio's kiln at temperatures ranging from 1,200 degrees to 1,500 degrees. The pieces stay in the kiln for about 22 hours.

It is in the firing process, that the pieces take their shape, forming what look like small stained glass pieces. 

Giardina said that she expects the glass fusion to become a top seller during Christmas when customers can create personalized tree ornaments.

Glass fusion isn't the only new addition to the pottery studio. Paint-A-Piece now holds Ladies Night on almost every Friday night of the month.

The studio began with just one Ladies Night a month in January, but the response was so big, that Giardina has made it a staple of her business. She said that 43 women participated in a recent event, in which customers are invited to bring wine, food and create a piece of pottery or glass fused craft.

Ladies Night will take place March 8, 15, 22 and 19. Reservations are required.