Artists

1990 Johnny Camp was introduced to glass for the first time.  While attending college in Centralia Washington, he began working part-time as an assistant for "The Original Mt. St. Helens Volcanic Ash Glassworks", Washington.  Soon he became a gaffer on a 2 man team.  The summer of 1993 he attended Philchuck open house.  1995 Johnny married Darlene Bushell and moved to California to work for Smyers Glass Studio, Benicia, producing table and barware: mold-blown.  Later that year he assisted Joe Morel at Zellique Art Glass, Benicia until 1999.  He also assisted Joe Morel while doing demonstrations at Chico State University with William Morris.  1999 Union Street Glass needed a Gaffer/Assistant.  Johnny worked alongside Guy Corrie and Ferdiand Theirot making large vessels.  1999 Johnny participated in a Venitian Goblet Class at Public Glass, San Francisco taught by Pamina Traylor and Katrina Hude.  2000 Johnny began working for Nourot Glass Studio, Benicia, assistant to Michael Nourot.  He quickly became the lead gaffer and manager until 2002.

2001  Johnny and wife Darlene open Opal Art Glass...

Johnny & Darlene Camp's dedication to glassblowing is evident in the excellent quality of their work. Johnny and Darlene work together as a team creating a wide variety of hand blown glass, ranging from traditional forms to contemporary styles.  Their combined 18 years of expertise as hands on artists, designers, and fabricators have enabled them to achieve intimate works of art, as well as large scale commissions.  Glass poses as a seductive medium that continues to excite and inspire them everyday.  Each  piece is a free hand expression of the excitement and danger only found in a glassblowing studio.  For Johnny and Darlene working directly with the glass is not only the time of inspiration, but a time when they can focus on only one thing, the glass, and leave the rest of the world behind.

 

Opal Art Glass creates exquisite crystal by mixing sand, soda ash, lime and other trace ingredients. Glass is then kept molten in the furnace at 2100 degrees.  Preheated tips of stainless steel rods and pipes are used to gather the molten glass. (Imagine winding up honey on the end of a chopstick).  Hand tools are used to  manipulate and cut the glass. Different designs are created by adding colored glass, gold, silver, and etc.   After the glass has reached its finished form, it must be placed in a 930 degree fahrenheit annealing oven.  Once the day of producing is over, the oven is cooled at a rate of one degree a minute.  The pieces are removed from the annealing oven, ground and polished.  Each piece is then inspected, signed and dated.  Johnny and Darlene will never stop learning: the possibilities with glass are endless.

 

Specializing in Lighting Fixtures, Bathroom Sinks, Vases, Goblets, Paperweights, Perfume Bottles and Custom Design.  Sport Awards and Corporate Orders.  Gifts for all occasions, Birthdays, Weddings, Anniversaries, Graduations and All Holidays.