Meet the Maker – Hot Haus

From her humble beginnings of choosing glass as an elective at university, to training at Adelaide’s renowned Jam Factory, Amanda Dziedzic now owns and runs successful Melbourne based glass studio, Hot Haus.

A craft not easily learnt; she confesses glass blowing is not for the faint hearted. “I think for anyone wanting to learn the craft, you’ve got to have real tenacity to want to do it because it is such a tricky material to master.”

Although she admits this, Amanda and her team make the process look effortless. With almost 20 years experience in glass blowing, Amanda has honed her skills through love and passion of the craft. Working in multiple studios and with varying artists, she has built a strong muscle memory that allows her to have a harmonious relationship with the glass.  “Your hands take over, they know how to make the glass do what you want but it takes a long time to develop that language with glass.”

Watching Amanda and her team take molten dripping glass and transform them into their final pieces is a hypnotic and wondrous experience. They have a unified rhythm that can only come from mutual respect, years long experience and unquestionable friendship. “The best thing about glass blowing is that you rely heavily on a team. You’ve got that real camaraderie.”

Amanda’s latest collection as with all her work is inspired by nature and colour.

“Everyday inspiration comes a lot from nature. I like looking for different colour inspiration. I let colour dictate.”  The four pieces that make up the collection are infused with deep rich amber tones of earth, and free flowing swirls of blue mirroring the sky and air.  Each colour palette has been applied to a vase and a paper weight, with every piece being unique.