Blowing a chance for success

Deepa Bharath

Caleb Siemon was barely 23 years old when he opened his glass

blowing studio.

For three years he lived in a trailer outside his Costa Mesa

warehouse, located on a crowded commercial street off of Superior

Avenue.

Today, Siemon has customers like Nieman Marcus and Barney’s of New

York.

It’s been a long and hard road to success, said the young

designer, now 27.

“For the last six months, I’ve been getting a paycheck,” Siemon

said, smiling. “And that’s a great feeling.”

It all started for him in high school when he tried glassblowing

in summer camp.

“I fell in love with it,” said Siemon, who grew up in Newport

Beach. “It was so physical and spontaneous. You’re playing with fire

and heat. As a medium, it captivated me.”

Art runs in his blood. His father designs jewelry and his mother

paints. So “producing stuff” just came naturally to Siemon.

After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Siemon

designed jewelry for his father. He then took off to Italy to pursue

his true passion, studying the art of glassblowing under a master for

two years. Siemon then returned to Newport Beach and bought equipment

for his new factory with the money he earned from royalties for his

jewelry designs.

In the beginning, Siemon said he would make his pieces then load

them up in his car and go gallery-hopping in an effort to sell his

wares.

His outlook changed after he did a trade show in Baltimore two

years into his business.

“We got several orders and after this show, we started breaking

even,” he said. He also started getting a sense of who his customers

are, Siemon said.

“I’ve observed that people who buy my stuff are part of a young,

hip crowd that has money and is looking for nice, little pieces for

their homes,” he said. “I’ve noticed they don’t sell well with a

conservative crowd. They have a modern feel to them, kind of a retro

look, too.”

Some of the vases and bowls shine with colorful brilliance light

reflecting off bright bands and swirls of color. Other pieces, with

mellow patterns, stand with subdued elegance. A few others are

skillfully carved.

The artist’s favorite is the pure, solid glass pieces.

“To me that’s attractive because it is the essence of the

material,” he said.

The glass is blown in hot ovens where temperatures reach up to

2,000 degrees and cooled in cooling ovens.

The banded pieces are the biggest hits with customers, Siemon

said. He imports the color from Germany. His top-of-the-line pieces

range from $120 to $640. He also makes customized, one-of-a-kind

pieces that fetch up to $2,000.

Siemon says although he has plans to expand his business, he’s

going to stay away from retail.

“I’m just happy to send it out and let someone else handle the

retail part of it,” he said. “My job is to produce and I’d like it to

stay that way.”