ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Studio glass

Okay kiddo, have you ever seen a glass cup or vase? Well, sometimes people make really fancy and artistic versions of those, which they call studio glass.

So, here's how it works: people start by heating up a special kind of glass that can be melted and molded into different shapes. This glass is usually made up of silica (a type of sand), soda ash, and lime.

Once the glass is heated up, the artist can shape it into all sorts of different forms - like a vase or a paperweight or a sculpture. They might use special tools to press, pull or twist the glass while it's still hot and soft.

After that, the glass needs to cool down slowly so that it doesn't break. This part can take a while - sometimes even a whole day! Then, the artist might do some more work on the glass, like polishing or engraving.

Finally, after all that work, the studio glass is ready to be shown off and displayed in art galleries or museums. People can enjoy looking at the different colors and shapes, and imagining all the time and creativity that went into making them.