How did a 25-year-old German man in the 19080s turn his new glassblowing hobby into a lifelong trade that he took with him overseas? Just ask Toughkenamon’s Thomas von Koch, the owner of WSK Glass Art Studio tucked behind New Garden airport, writes Tara Smith for The Daily Local News.  

Von Koch’s attention to detail in his delicate garden sculptures, glass hummingbirds, and pumpkins can be found in retail shops across Chester County including the gift shop at Longwood Gardens.  

In the 1990s, Von Koch immigrated to the U.S. as an economic refuge and has called Chester County home ever since.  

WGK, which is called Wertheim Glaskunst, named after his hometown, has two studios. One of them is a lamp-work studio, which involves the practice of melting glass rods on a tabletop. The other one is a furnace studio, which means that artisans gather glass on metal pipes to form the creation in a furnace.  

The furnace studio is usually where workshops are held. The gallery and studio have been open since 2020, the classes are open to people ages 14 and up.  

In 2022 the studio hosted its first-ever Glass Pumpkin Festival in New Garden Township.  

Read more about this glass artisan on The Daily Local News.  

WGK Glass Art Pumpkin Festival underway in Chester County.