Feral Hot Glass owner working toward opening | Gallery Glances
Published by: The News-Herald
By Cathee Thomas
Original article found here
Happy New Year! As the celebrating draws to a close, it’s time to buckle down to plan on making 2026 the best yet. How do we do this? We begin by looking at ourselves— not in the mirror but deeper, into the essence of who we are at our cores. We can all be better human beings: kinder, more patient, helpful, thoughtful and just plain nice. It’s basic.
But there is more. Parallel to that is learning something new. Maybe learn a new skill or rediscover an old one. Improve your health, read more, scroll less. Be mindful of what you view; it permeates your brain and affects your disposition. Find your balance between “Debbie Downer” and “Suzzie Sunshine” and embrace it.
Doing what makes you happy carries over into the way you live and how you treat others. How you do that is up to you. Many choose to make New Year’s resolutions. But if you are making the same ones every year — and many of us do — it might be time for a new method.
Here is one I have been making for several years: draw more. I sketch my clay projects, sometimes before I begin and sometimes after, just so I can record my glazing choices with an image. The sad truth is the only real time I’ve spent drawing of late has been in the waiting room at Classic Toyota in Mentor.
That, my friends, is about to change. I am taking a five-week drawing class with Earl Smith at Stella’s Art Gallery in Willoughby. His work is so amazing, I am tickled to be able to join his next class.
Let’s see how well I do on my next resolution: enter more art competitions. I totally failed on that one in 2025. I’ll be sure to let you know if I get accepted anywhere, even if I get rejected. I have learned not to take it personally, as all artists need to learn. Just try again.
I’m tired of hearing arctic-blast warnings and doom-and-gloom snow and ice forecasts. If you are, too, you may love today’s hot news.
Feral Hot Glass
Just writing “Feral Hot Glass” warms me up. I met with the artist, owner, founder and floor sweeper, Mark Rubelowsky, last week for an update and tour of the facility in Geneva. And I just have to say it, I was “blown” away.
They broke ground in April 2024 for Feral Hot Glass at 6183 S. River Road W. At first, Rubelowsky was going to build a pole barn. But his father, a retired lieutenant colonel from the Army, had his eye on a house. It wasn’t that he wanted to move, but it had enough property for growing grapes and building a glass-blowing facility. And so it began, father and son each making the dream a reality.
“As with any large project like this, the scope of the work has evolved,” Rubelowsky said. “We’ve spent a little more than planned, but that was expected. We want to build this thing right the first time, so spending a little more up front saves more time and money in the future.”