Gypsy Road Trip

Making beautiful glass pieces takes special skill, patience, and artistic ability. Rob Hill has developed these traits and today makes a variety of glass items, which can be found at several festivals and online at RedHill Glass Creations.

Rob grew up in Newcomerstown and graduated from NHS. His mother was an antique dealer and loved beautiful glassware. From the age of five, Rob went along with her on her hunts and developed a love of glass treasures. The young boy was especially fascinated with glass marbles.

Flintknapping and hunting for arrowheads was something Rob also enjoyed. In his travels, he met a man from Texas who wanted to trade Texas flint for Ohio flint. When Rob received the shipment from Texas not only were there flint arrowheads but also glass ones.

Upon asking about the glass arrowheads, he discovered they had been made by a method of glass blowing called “Lampworking”, which was something he decided to explore.

In 2012, Rob decided to make some of his own glass creations as a hobby. He bought some glass-making equipment and began watching YouTubes about “Lampworking”. He became self-taught by watching others demonstrate their skill at blowing glass either through videos or watching in person at area glass companies.

It took Rob a while to learn the art of glassblowing but as he became more confident, he began sharing his creations on Facebook and Instagram. They were a hit! Next step was to upgrade his equipment to keep up with the demand for his products.

Rob uses a torch to melt the glass instead of the traditional blast furnace found in factories. He purchases his glass in rods made of silica glass in various lengths, diameters, and colors.

Once it is in a molten state, he then proceeds to shape it by blowing and using various tools he has acquired. He wants his pieces to last a lifetime and even be handed down to the next generation so is very careful to use glass that won’t crack under extreme temperature changes.

His creations include glass pendants, vintage glass décor, jewelry, suncatchers, animals, mushrooms, and the list goes on. He makes just about anything you would like out of glass. At Christmas, he couldn’t keep up with the orders for glass icicles.

Memorial marbles and pendants have become a popular item for people and pets. This began in 2013 when he wanted to use his dad’s cremains in a memorial marble, which is golf ball size. It takes about 45 minutes to make one marble. Now he ships these glass memorials all over the U.S. and even to Japan, Germany, Canada, and Australia.

Cremation art has become a very popular item. Some put the cremains in a necklace so the loved one can rest close to their heart. Others prefer to display them in a lovely glass piece in their home. Rob pretty much can control how the design turns out, but often a hidden surprise appears.

You can find his beautiful glass creations at various craft shows. It has also been on display at Flint Ridge, Salt Fork Festival, and there was a special showing in Newcomerstown at ARTSNCT called “The Amazing Works of Rob Hill” where he even gave a live demonstration of glassblowing. Many of the items on display are for purchase.

Since Rob also sells online, you can visit his Facebook or Instagram postings anytime and order a special treasure for yourself.

He also offers lessons if someone would like to learn the trade of glassblowing. If you would like to develop this special art, contact him at robert.hill8141@gmail.com or call him at 330-440-8141.

Right now Rob is busy with a full-time job and has many special orders to fill. In the future, he would like to devote more time to his special interest in marbles. He’s also exploring the area of painting on canvas. His artistic skills are numerous. However, he also wants to take time to enjoy his two children and three grandchildren.

Perhaps sometime in the future, he will be able to turn his hobby into an even busier business. Watch for RedHill Glass Creations online or at a nearby festival. Glass treasures last a lifetime!