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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, A pr il 25 ,2 01 9 | 12 delmanor.com Delmanor Glen Abbey is more beautiful than ever. Call today and book a tour to see our stunning renovations. (905) 469-3232 1459 Nottinghill Gate, Oakville Come see our new look! oakville.ca Volunteer Information and Training SessionVolunteer Information and Training SessionV Thursday, May 30 or Tuesday, June 4 6 - 8:15 p.m. Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre 2302 Bridge Road, Program Room 3 Are you interested in trees and the environment? Do you enjoy being outside in nature? Are you looking to learn new skills and volunteer in a meaningful way? Now is your chance! In partnership with its consultant, BioForest, the Town of Oakville works with volunteers to help monitor neighbourhood street trees for invasive insects, disease and other issues related to forest health. High school students! You can earn volunteer hours while learning about the urban forest! Reserve your spot! Email foresthealthvolunteers@oakville.ca by May 23, indicating which training date you will be attending. Please include your address, including postal code. For more information visit oakville.ca. A healthy urban forest is an integral part of our community. Together we can keep it green! Learn to be a Forest Health Ambassador HORSEBACK RIDING in Mississauga moc.selbatsekralwodaem@ofni 9140-128-509 Summer Camp Ride Twice Daily Ages: 7-14 from $280 per Week Learn to Ride Program www.mEADOwLARKEStABLES.com 905-821-0419 info@meadowlarkestables.comom Youth & Teen/Adult 8 Weeks - $249Youth & Teen/Adult 8 Weeks - $249Y glass, however, that he thrives on - the technical skills, the creativity it re- quires to tame it, the hours standing and bending, the twisting, cutting, dipping and polishing. The labour and long hours required to create his exquisite and delicate vessels is hard on the entire body, he conced- ed. But it's instant gratifica- tion, he said, compared to ceramics, which he consid- ered at one time as a career path. "Glass is the medium that best reflects my inner- most feelings. When ap- proaching glass in its fluid state, I am deeply moved by the metamorphosis from a molten shape to the solidi- fied shape of my design." Thai, who was resident artist at both Toronto's Harbourfront Centre and the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, is re- presented by galleries both in Canada and the U.S; he has been the recipient of a myriad of awards and has taught glass-blowing since graduating from the Crafts and Design Glass program at Sheridan College in 2002.Thai also has a num- ber of Collections; his School of Fish series was exhibited at the G8 and G20 Summits. "My work has always at- tempted to balance tech- nique and concept. I am al- ways fine-tuning the tech- niques used to create new work. Whether I am creat- ing a blown glass vessel or a piece of glass sculpture, my focus is on both the cre- ation of a timeless design with a contemporary style and a high level of techni- cal skill. "I like big stuff - I'm a vessel person, lots of vol- David Thai revels in his "partnership" with the fi- ery hot molten liquid with which he works. As an established glass- blower, Thai is keenly aware that liquid glass has a mind of its own - when it emerges from the rum- bling box-shaped furnace - its interior a fiery hell of 2065 degrees F - and he be- gins to mould and shape it, the round shape he desired may end up oval. Is the fight with the liquid glass worth it, is a constant di- lemma. "Sometimes you just go with the flow. It's a 50-50 (partnership)," smiled the 48-year-old Thai, a Chi- nese-Canadian glass artist of renown, originally from Vietnam. It's precisely the manip- ulative qualities of molten ume. I aim toward creating objects that beautify their surroundings." Thai has long sought to open a retail/gallery site in Oakville, but has been un- able to find the perfect site until recently. He co-found- ed and owned studios in Kingston and Georgetown before finally opening the Oakville Glass Studio at 2070 (Unit 8A) on Speers Road, hidden from the road behind another building, with wooden steps leading to the front door. Inside the open concept studio is an abundance of machinery, tools and pro- tective gear, and a small bright studio that houses his creations, ranging in price from $500 to $5,000. He works in the studio three days a week, using up to 300 pounds of clear glass OAKVILLE GLASS STUDIO: CREATING OBJECTS THAT BEAUTIFY THEIR SURROUNDINGS KATHY YANCHUS kyanchus@metroland.com BUSINESS See - page 13