- [Jorge] Today in "Crossing South" we visit some glass artists who truly honor the craft and it's coming to you right now.

(upbeat music) (laid-back music) On today's episode, we take a trip to the city of Ensenada.

Here, we find a glassblowing shop that does beautiful work not just for Mexicans but for clients around the world including the US, which is actually where they got started.

It's meticulous work that requires a skillful hand.

We had a little visit to see their operation.

- Debora, how you doing Debra?

(Jorge laughs) Hi, how are you?

- Very nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you too.

- So tell me the history about this place.

Like you seem to be very successful.

We heard about you guys.

So how long have you been in business?

- We have been here in Mexico, like seven years.

- [Jorge] Seven years.

- But we are original from Utah.

The studio is original from Utah, so we are a branch of Utah.

I am from Argentina.

- Oh really.

(Jorge laughing) - Yeah, I'm from Argentina.

And I came here like seven years ago, too.

- So you-- - To open this business.

- To open this shop.

- Uh huh.

- So, did you study this?

I mean, how did you come-- - [Debora] I am an art teacher so-- - [Jorge] You're an art teacher?

- [Debora] From my country and then I moved to Iowa.

and Iowa have only one artistic scene that it was a stained glass studio.

- [Jorge] Really.

- And they hired me and they taught me how to paint on glass.

- All right, so that's how-- - So that's how I started on the business of stained glass.

I am the head artist here in Ensenada.

- [Jorge] Hm mm.

- But the head artist in Utah is Tom Holdman.

- Okay.

- So he's the owner of the company.

- Gotcha, gotcha.

Don't get jealous, Tom.

We're interviewing - Yeah.

- Debora right now.

- Yeah.

- So it's all about her.

(Debora laughing) Did you draw this by hand?

- [Debora] Uh huh, yeah.

- Oh my goodness you are good.

- This one-- - [Debora] This is for a temple in Paris - [Jorge] In Paris?

- [Debora] In Paris.

And we did it here in Ensenada.

(Jorge guffaws) So this-- - Oh my goodness.

- This was designed, you know, that, it's a big theme.

There are designers, interior designers, architects everybody's involved.

- Okay, so what if somebody comes and says, you know, I want this but I want a stained glass image of Homer Simpson, you know, would you do that?

- We do it.

(Jorge laughing) - We do it.

We have, I'm going to show you a funny one.

She wanted a-- - [Jorge] A unicorn.

- A unicorn, she wanted a ladybug.

- Ladybugs.

- Here is a worm, corn.

So we went like, okay let me see how we can make it look nice.

- How long does it take you to do a drawing like that?

- Oh, depends but it could take, you know, like, I don't know, four, six hours, something like that.

- Four to six hours?

Could you draw me eating like a taco, like?

(Debora laughing) As a stained glass?

(Debora laughing) We'll do it in portrait.

(Debora laughing) (Jorge laughing) Who asked for a giant butterfly?

(Debora laughing) - That's a good question.

(Jorge and Debora laughing) Yeah, well we did several of these ones.

- [Jorge] Yeah.

- Some flew to Utah.

(Jorge laughing) - [Jorge] Some flew to Utah?

- [Debora] Yeah, they are over there.

- [Jorge] Okay.

- [Debora] And there is like, I don't know the name in English but, (Debora speaking foreign language) - [Jorge] Okay.

- [Debora] Where all the butterflies are-- - [Jorge] So it's a butterfly sanctuary.

- Exactly, sanctuary.

- And they have that there?

- [Debora] They have that there.

- [Jorge] Oh gosh, it makes sense.

- Here, Federico.

- Okay.

- He speak English too.

- Oh, nice.

Good job Federico.

- So.

- Yeah.

- (laughs) How's it going?

- Good, and you?

- How you doing?

Good good (laughs).

- So what he does is he transfer everything to the digital lights, the drawing and then we have all the lead lines everything all there we go to this printer.

Looks old but it's working.

- Oh really?

- Still working, okay?

It's like a plotter, right?

- It's a plotter, exactly.

And so we draw this, we draw the pattern as many times as we need it.

You know?

- Okay.

- That's the beauty of this.

- Okay.

- Or we just use this to cut the stickers.

- [Jorge] Hm mm.

- The stickers is the pieces that we are going to use to put on the glass, trace, peel, cut the glass.

- Ooh!

- You cut it by hand.

It's very handy work this.

- Oh, wow.

- Very labor intensive.

- [Jorge] Okay.

You know, somebody could see that "Hey I wanna do that in my house, right?"

- [Debora] Uh huh.

But one of the beauty of stained glassery I wanted to share with you is that you have light, you have decoration-- - Uh huh... - But you also have privacy.

- [Jorge] For sure.

- So if you want to have privacy because sometimes, you know-- - I want it.

(Debora and Jorge laughing) - [Narrator] The intricacy of the work is astonishing.

It can go from the very complex with tiny elements to simple vessels, vases, cups or shapes that naturally occur when you blow glass.

- So this is where it happens, this is the shop.

- This is the shop.

Here is where we have all of our magic people.

- So what's the difference between, you said you draw over there and then it goes to being digitized, is this a printing of the digitized-- - Exactly.

- Version or-- - [Debora] Before people draw these by hand.

- By hand.

Oh, a huge one by hand.

- [Debora] A huge one by hand and then they needed to do another one and they have to draw that again.

(Jorge laughing) So here with the digital-- - [Jorge] You can print as many as you want.

- [Debora] As many as you want.

- So this, this is printed actually.

- This is printed.

And then after we print this, we know how big it's going to be we know where the pieces go.

- [Jorge] So this is actual size now.

- This is actually size, here exactly.

You can see some of the pieces here they're called copper foil.

- Copper foil, and what's this?

This glass?

- And that is glass.

And here are the pieces.

And so you can put it there.

- Oh yeah, it's cool.

- And you start putting together your window.

And so now you're putting together, you almost ready to solder this window, almost ready.

(Jorge laughing) - You solder this?

- We solder, everything will be solder, every single line.

- Wow.

- [Debora] The different between copper foil and lead is lead, you saw that only lead the joints-- - Okay.

- Each joint.

Like here you saw that the whole thing.

- The whole thing.

Okay are we gonna get to see some of that?

- Yes.

- Being done?

- Of course, yes.

So here is a piece of glass.

- So this glass is the one that's manufactured.

They send it to you.

- Exactly.

- So what do you do with this?

- And then you can see the texture on this side.

You can touch it.

- Yes.

For sure.

- Very rough.

- [Jorge] Got these ripples.

- So this-- - But we don't cut it in that side, we cut it in the smooth side.

- How do you-- - You turn it around-- - [Jorge] Oh, gotcha gotcha.

- [Debora] You put your sticker on.

- [Jorge] Uh huh.

- [Debora] And then you trace your piece with a sharpie.

You wanted to do it?

- [Jorge] Yeah, for sure.

- [Debora] Okay.

- So I'm a bonafide employee here now.

(Deborah laughs) - Yes.

- Okay.

- So here you can see a screw.

- Yeah.

- The screw needs to be up.

And then you have a wheel here that have a diamond - [Jorge] Oh.

- And that diamond I'm going to show you what is going to happen.

And so what we do with this is we cut and we make a V on the glass.

- Okay.

- Then, you put pressure on each side of the glass.

And you open that V and the crack goes down.

- It'll pop it up.

- Exactly.

And try to hear the cracking noise.

- [Jorge] Oh my goodness.

(cutting tool screeching) Oh yeah.

- [Debora] I'm putting some pressure on that.

- [Jorge] Yeah yeah you are.

- [Debora] Okay, and so we will open this, I don't see it either.

(glass popping) - Oh my goodness!

(Jorge laughs).

- [Debora] Okay.

- [Jorge] Wow.

- You open it.

- Okay.

- See?

- [Jorge] Okay.

- Easy, easy peasy.

- Okay.

- Okay.

- [Jorge] Oh man, I'm so nervous.

(cutting tool screeching) (glass popping) - That sounds very, very professional.

(Jorge laughing) This is a different tool, it's called "running" and it will put pressure in each side like I told you before.

You see a line there?

- [Jorge] Yeah.

- [Debora] Okay, you go there.

- [Jorge] Oh, like that?

- [Debora] Like that and put pressure.

(glass popping) - [Jorge] (gasps) I broke it.

Is that all right?

- [Debora] It's, it's okay, it's-- - [Jorge] Too much pressure?

- [Debora] To much pressure.

(Jorge laughing) (glass popping) - [Jorge] Oh no.

(cutting tool screeching) (Debora giggling) I'm so crooked.

(Debora giggling)ú I can't keep it straight.

(Debora laughing) I can't keep it straight, that was horrible.

- Yep, I didn't get it.

- Here you go.

- Oh, not too bad.

- (chuckles) It was going crooked on me.

- [Debora] Try another one.

- That sound better.

- [Jorge] It sounded a little better, right?

- Much, much better.

So maybe you can use this one, softly.

- [Jorge] Softly.

- [Narrator] Yeah, she's being nice.

It's just plain bad.

- Yes.

- Whoa.

- [Debora] Nice and clean.

- [Jorge] Whoa.

- [Debora] (chuckles) Nice and clean.

It's a texture that you never try.

- [Jorge] Right.

- [Debora] You try fibric, paper.

You cut it from when you're little.

But glass, who cut glass when they're-- - No, nobody.

- Nobody.

- Nobody.

And then when you're a little kid, you know, you get punished for breaking glass and now it's encouraged, so.

(Debora laughing) - And now they pay you for that.

- I might have thrown a baseball through a window at one point but.

(glass screeching) - [Debora] So now we have this grinder here.

- [Jorge] Okay.

- So what you do if you lay the glass flat.

- [Jorge] Uh huh.

- And then you push and go... (machine buzzing) - Oh, wow.

- Grinding.

(machine buzzing) - [Jorge] Oh my finger, no just kidding.

(Debora laughing) - Now, this is a little bit more satisfying for me.

(machine buzzing) - And then you bring your beautiful piece.

Then you find your piece, where that piece go.

- [Jorge] You find your puzzle.

- Yeah, can you guess?

- Okay, well.

- [Narrator] Two hours later.

(comedic music) - It's this piece here.

- Oh, I mean, I was looking for an open spot.

- Oh no, no, no.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

(Jorge laughing) - It's that piece there.

So you can see the curve that you were fighting with.

For a while.

- Yeah, my little piece unfortunately it does not pass quality control.

(Debora laughing) - Look at, look at the difference.

So it can be my little trophy, you know?

(laughs) - Your, yes of course.

(machine buzzing) (upbeat music) - So you-- - Is this lead?

- [Debora] That is lead and it has an H-channel.

And each side of the channel, you put your glass.

- [Jorge] Oh, that's what it is.

So the way she's drawing it right now-- - [Debora] Uh huh.

- [Jorge] With it to fit the pattern that you drew.

- [Debora] Exactly, exactly.

- Okay.

- [Debora] So, because it's soft you can manipulate the lead-- - [Jorge] So you buy these already made like this.

- [Debora] Yes.

- Okay.

- They came from Canada.

- [Jorge] And I thought the lead was like melted and dropped like that.

- And it will hold your glass in.

- Right, right.

- It will not allow your glass to move around.

So it's kinda nice, you know.

And this one would be fast stuff to do, you know?

- [Jorge] Yeah.

So if you wanted to make like Homer Simpson's head, right.

You just, you start.

- Yes, exactly.

Now you have the eyes to put here, right?

- [Debora] Uh huh, exactly.

And his head would be all (Jorge laughing) a piece of glass.

You're right, - A yellow piece of glass (laughs).

- Uh huh, perfect.

- Oh man, I'm learning now, okay.

You like your job?

- Yeah, a lot.

- Yeah?

(laughs) You seem to be good at it, so?

- [Narrator] She's so focused and I'm just distracting her.

Sorry, my apologies.

It actually seems simple at first glance but then you see how long it takes to put it all together.

It must take a lot of patience to finish one of these works.

(upbeat music) - Ah huh, this would, let's say that it's a grease that will clean your metals.

- Okay.

- So if you don't use this you will not solder the very properly.

- Oh, really, okay.

- So you want it to touch each-- - [Jorge] Joint.

- [Debora] Each joint to make sure that you clean your metals.

- [Jorge] Really.

- [Debora] You are soldering for the first time in your life?

- [Jorge] Yeah, I am, I am.

- [Debora] Oh, that's.

(Jorge laughing) - You want to warm up the lead and the solder to be able to-- - To smooth it out.

- Uh huh.

- Oh, that looks nice.

- [Debora] Touching.

- Wow that looks so cool.

- Even I'm going to turn it down a little bit, so it's not too hot for you.

- Uh huh.

You have to touch everything, you want it to be solder.

Ooh, that was nice.

- [Jorge] But now I gotta get this one out.

- [Debora] No, leave it there.

Nice, there perfect.

- [Jorge] I think I finally got it (laughs).

When can I start.

- So, you are-- - Yeah, I was going to say, when you're going to start with us?

The lead is getting melted now.

- Oh, no.

- Now you have to stop working on that one.

Lead is getting melted.

- See what happened is, I got cocky, is what happened.

(Debora and Jorge laughing) - Well lets put it away before Jorge does more damage, okay?

(Debora and Jorge laughing) - We cement the window, which is kinda messy.

We don't have that right now.

- Okay.

And then you'll have some gaps and so you fill it with some type of cement - Grout you know, a type of grout.

- Grout.

Well, this is similar but it goes inside the channel.

- It goes inside the lead channels.

Oh, that's the copper.

So you don't really fill-- - [Debora] This is the bit you cut.

- [Jorge] Yeah, exactly (laughs).

- [Debora] That's the beast you cut.

And you can see the copper foil.

- [Jorge] Oh, nice.

- [Debora] And you can see the combination.

How they look different, lead lines with copper foil.

Everything is solder right here, every single one.

- [Jorge] Copper is more textured, right?

- [Debora] Uh huh.

- [Jorge] And that's why you said it looks more organic because-- - [Debora] Looks more organic.

- [Jorge] It looks less like straight.

- Uh huh.

- It looks, it has more imperfections, right?

- [Debora] Exactly, have more imperfections.

- This frame is metal.

- That one is Zinc, it's called Zinc.

It's harder than lead.

This one is the one that you cannot bend with your hands.

- You cannot bend.

Zinc cannot be bent.

- [Debora] Not with your hands.

- [Jorge] So do you color the lead?

Do you paint it?

Because it's darker.

- We patina.

Even if we didn't patina and leave it silver with the time it will-- - It will turn that way.

- It will-- - It'll kinda oxidize.

- Exactly, exactly.

- So it's-- - and you can patina copper color, black color, silver color.

- I mean.

Copper will also kinda oxidize, right, copper?

- Uh huh, exactly.

We sandwich the window between two pieces of glass.

- Oh.

- So they need to be a spotless clean.

- Okay.

- Because nobody's going to touch it again.

So we put two pieces of glass.

We insulate the window - Really.

- And it's going to be-- - So it's protected from the elements.

- Yes.

- So the ones in like historical buildings in Europe and so on, whatever-- - They were exposed.

- They were exposed the whole time.

- That's why they get bad, really fast, you know, and then you have to renew the lead.

- You insulate them.

- [Debora] We insulate them.

- [Jorge] It's like a triple pane, you know?

(laughs) - Triple pane, exactly.

- [Jorge] Look at the amount of detail.

What is he doing?

What is your worker doing?

- [Debora] He's painting with glass.

He's right now selecting-- - Oh, he's putting the tiles basically.

- Uh huh, he select glass.

His name is Blass and he was working with us from the beginning.

He will select all the pieces because he's the one who have the eye.

- Okay.

- You know.

Claudia also works on these, I work on these.

See that from the distance and you will see how it looks.

- Woo, wow.

- [Debora] Be careful.

- [Jorge] Man, it looks amazing.

- [Debora] Look at the flower.

- [Jorge] Yeah, from here you can see it.

How it's going to look, mountains right?

- Uh huh.

Here in the shadow, you see how here you have some shadows and lighter here?

- [Jorge] Yeah.

- Why?

Because he's suspending on that rock.

- So that's a little shade.

- So we need to be dark there.

- Uh huh, we need to be darker there.

So that's the way we paint with glass.

You have shadows, light with the glass lighter here because we want to have light there and go down.

- [Jorge] At 12 you had a degree for teaching.

- Uh huh, painting and drawing.

- At 12?

- At 12 because I started when I was five.

- Oh my goodness.

- And I was going to a conservatory.

So I, you know, the time came to do the test and I did it and I did it again again and I finished.

And I was 12 and I told my mom-- - What did they say?

Did they say something, was that-- - They were saying that I was the youngest one, you know.

But my quality of drawing were very mature, so they like it.

- Okay.

- So they approve me to be a teacher.

- Amazing.

Did you want to be a painter or what did you wanna be?

- Yes, a painter.

- Yeah?

- Yes and now I am a manager.

- Exactly (chuckles).

- And a designer.

- Are there people still today who can paint like what you see in the Louvre, you know, and the Renaissance?

- There are some.

Do they still exist?

- There are some but they're minimal.

- Right?

- Yeah, minimal.

- It's like - So you put your piece on the kiln.

Here is the kiln.

- You're gonna put that.

- We put it here.

- Okay.

- And it gets to 1200 degrees.

And so you put it there, fire.

Take it out and then shade, put all the shading.

Put it back, fire again.

Take it out, put the enamels.

Fire it little bit more low.

Take it out, add some more color if you need, fire again.

Like normally pieces like this are like six fires.

- Really?

- Four fires-- - Six-- - Times to go to the kiln.

But faces sometimes more than 12 fires.

- Oh really, each one?

- Each face, faces have more details.

- Wow.

- More details.

- Could I borrow this and put like a barbecue here?

Or something.

(Debora and Jorge laughing) - It will burn a little (laughs).

This is a job not for everyone.

- Right, right.

- You know why?

- [Jorge] Patience.

- Patience, calm, you know.

- Takes a lot of patience.

- It's a job that we are really busy sometimes and sometimes we are calm.

And so we go slow and some people don't can't handle that calmness.

- They go that's it, I can't.

- Yeah.

- I messed up two times that's it, I'm gone.

- I'm leaving.

- Can't take the pressure.

Oh wow.

- So here is the blowing glass.

- Oh wow.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] So now it's time to play with the big boys.

From the blowtorch, to the glory hole glass oven, to the rolling, to the pinching, this is beautiful, satisfying work.

But don't let that beauty fool you, it is very dangerous.

Especially if you don't know what you're doing.

This takes some serious skill and a lot of practice.

(upbeat music) - [Debora] The bubble maker.

- [Jorge] Wow, look at that.

(machines whirling) - [Debora] And glass is the thing that you build with more memory.

Why?

As soon as you touch it that mark will stay there.

- [Jorge] Oh really.

- You can use molds to do window, like this one look.

And you blow it and you close it and you blow it blow it.

It keeps the shape.

- [Jorge] Oh really, that shape.

- [Debora] That shape.

- Oh wow, that's the shape.

- That's the shape.

- So you blow at it so that it expands.

- Expands and we'll get the shape.

- Wow.

- And so we hang many from the roof and it look like a lamp.

- So the light shines from this and reflects in different directions.

- Exactly, exactly.

- So this area, they have some chairs here for tours.

They do tours and tourist come here sit and watch the glass blowing over there.

And they can actually make one of these, tourists can actually get to do these.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Ryan, one of the cameramen in our crew, got his hands dirty.

(funky music) I've seen this stuff on Netflix.

And I think it's awesome that they get to give the public a chance to do something like this.

I mean, wouldn't you wanna play around with some liquid hot magma, right?

Right?

(upbeat music) The end result is pretty cool but I'm trying to figure out what that is.

- It can also be used to hear better or like a trumpet for dinner.

(unconvincing trumpet sounds) And this is where you see it.

Or like some champagne, it'll flow all throughout the imperfections but you could try it.

- [Jorge] Okay, I'm very reluctant, I wanna try some of this.

This is scary.

(machines whirling) I fear things that can maim.

(upbeat music) - Put it in your mouth.

- Okay (inhales).

- [Woman] Oh my goodness, that is crazy.

- [Narrator] I was like prophetic.

I don't have the lungs for this.

But how, I've never smoked?

Turns out it had already gone cold.

Not even the big bad wolf could have blown that out.

So let's reheat this sucker and give it another go.

- [Debora] It's coming, it's coming, the bubble (cheers).

It's coming, it's coming.

- [Jorge] Now that's more like it.

Well, actually now I kind of overshot it (laughs).

- Nice!

Yours Truly's lung visualized right there folks.

Remember kids, if you're ever attempted to light up and start smoking my, (Debora yells) my little PSA right there.

- Its going to fall, careful.

- I have too much oxygen.

- [Worker] Right here.

(Jorge laughing) - I popped it.

- [Man] You can see your bubbles?

- Yeah (laughs).

(glass bubble popping) (Jorge groaning) (people laughing) That was my lung right there (laughs).

That was my lung (laughs).

I blew so much into it that it just popped it.

(people laughing) - [Narrator] Good thing lungs don't pop, right?

Or do they?

- Challenge accepted.

They're gonna put more glass on it.

See if I can pop that one (laughs).

So tell me when to start going.

- Blow, yes.

Blow!

- [Debora] Oh (cheers), oh my goodness.

- [Man] Blow more, blow more, more.

- [Debora] And roll, roll, roll, roll.

- Nice.

- Nice, nice.

Oh my gosh.

(Debora screaming) (glass bubble popping) (Debora yells) - Did you see that?

(Jorge laughing) - I popped another.

(people laughing) So just break it again?

(laughs).

Oh boy.

Uh, bam!

(glass bubble shattering) (Jorge guffaws) Well, the good news is that you guys don't have to deal with me on a permanent basis.

(people laughing) I've managed to mess up every aspect of this but it was enjoyable.

Okay, just so you get a little perspective.

This is what shoulda happened this is what actually happened.

- [Narrator] Very disappointing.

Debora, thank you so much for being a good sport and for putting up with my inept labor myself, but thank you very much.

You were a very good sport.

Nice to meet you.

- Thank you for your visit.

- You've got a very nice shop.

Don't go anywhere more coming your way.

Let's see what else I can break.

So like literally like a bull in a China shop.

So let's go (Jorge laughs).

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] So after getting to see behind the scenes of this creative art that decorates both private and historical buildings around the world we leave having a greater appreciation for the craft and satisfied with the experience of just another thing that makes up this great region.

We leave content and wonder what will come along the next time we "Cross South."

(upbeat music) (glass popping) - [Jorge] (gasps) I broke it.

(cheerful music) (guitar music) - [Narrator] Like to know more about the places you've just seen?

Maps, videos, podcasts, and more at CrossingSouth.com.

We also do Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

(guitar music concludes)