Blue Ridge Alchemy - Making Art with Glass Recognized as one of the coolest towns in the USA, Floyd, Virginia is home to a melting pot of eclectic artisans. And literally melting metals in this melting pot of artisans is the newest creative business proud to call Floyd its home! Blue Ridge Alchemy is the town’s newest art gallery, standing apart from the others by showcasing the art of glass blowing! Blue Ridge Alchemy is owned and operated by Floyd locals, Kenan Tiemeyer of Shady Grove Homestead Arts, and Caleb Storm Dickman of Liquid Fire Glass. The shop is located at 115 Sweeney Street SE, near the heart of town; behind DJ’s Drive-In and along The Crooked Road - Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. Blue Ridge Alchemy features live glass blowing, classes, bench rental, and a retail gallery space. While browsing, guests can watch glass creations being made before their eyes! This exciting new gallery experience occupies a storefront that was home to a television store in the 1970’s. It was then a floral shop, and finally a secondhand store. The proud, new owners tell us that customizing the space to their needs took six months, but they were particularly excited to add a glass lathe and a sandblast room! They have also been working hard to install a top-of-the-line ventilation system to service a great, creative workspace.
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These two talented artisans met twenty years ago at Seeds of Light in Blacksburg, a business that belonged to Caleb’s mother. From there, their friendship and business relationship began. Kenan has been working with flamework glass for over two decades. He grew up in Michigan and moved to the mountains of Floyd after earning his BS degree in Communications/ Film and Video Production. Shortly after the move to Virginia, he married his wife, Tree. She is also a creative artisan who owns and operates The Enchanted Tree, which features her own glasswork, beadwork, woven items, and honey from the couple’s homestead hives. Over the past two decades, Kenan has been increasingly focused on creating ethereal scenes of energetic beauty that speak to the soul, utilizing vaporized pure gold and silver. His primary aim has been to create large, solid orbs and paperweights. Kenan has sold his work all over the world and has taught and exhibited throughout the USA, Japan, Canada, and France. After spending much of his career working alone in his secluded Indian Valley studio, he is thrilled to have a spacious studio and gallery in the town of Floyd. There, he can showcase his work to the public and teach the art of working with vaporized precious metals. Growing up, Caleb’s family included many builders and craftsman.
Fall/Winter Fall/Winter 2020/2021 2020/2021
