San Antonio — At Garcia Art Glass in Southtown, things are heating up in their hot shop.
Molten glass is delicately pulled from the fires, dipped in color, and together with his crew, their "maestro" shapes one piece at a time.
It's a team effort that began with the creative mind of Gini Garcia.
"Glassmaking kind of hit me a little later in life," Garcia Art Glass, owner, Gini Garcia said.
Garcia who studied industrial design had never even taken an art class when she first discovered art glass in New Orleans.
"I fell in love. I had like a religious experience. I decided to close my design company and go back to school to learn glassmaking," Garcia said.
Starting her company, Garcia Art Glass in 1998, with the help and guidance of her mother, Dora, who to this day still helps around the studio.
She had the help of her sister and niece.
Her use of color through the years acting as a signature.
It's one that can be found throughout the city.
"It's a proud moment of course. I feel like what we are doing is changing lives through beauty,” Garcia said.
Now in her 20th year of business Garcia says taking a step back from making glass and focusing more on design.
This is allowing her to develop her art.
"I feel like just now at 54-years-old I really am just now making art," Garcia said.
Thanks to the help of her family and team.
"It's because I have such a great team that I can dream that I can come up with conceptual ideas that are not just everything pretty. I feel like there is real meat to what we do," Garcia said.
Capturing stories through her art and transferring that into one-of-a-kind pieces.
“To me, if you are not growing or evolving and being inspired throughout your life you know why make art,” Garcia said.