The "Ryan Blyth - March 8 Netflix Contestant! Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article in my daily newspaper about a fellow who will be competing in Season 4 of "Blown Away," which will be streaming on Netflix on March 8.  Guy by the name of Ryan Blyth who is a former Lancaster County resident and master glassmaker.  He will put his skills to the test on the Netflix glassblowing competition known as "Blown Away."  Ryan is the owner and operator of Blythe Glass Art & Design based in Seattle, Washington.  He is a 1991 graduate of Lancaster Country Day School and who previously operated a glass studio in Lancaster.  He will compete against nine other glassblowers in Season 4 of the "Blown Away," hosted by Nick Uhas which begins streaming on Netflix on March 8.  The show will feature master glass artists competing in glassmaking challenges in an elimination-style format for a $60,000 prize.  A story in the 2001 Lancaster Intelligencer Journal newspaper article, Ryan expressed interest in making Lancaster a hub for glassmaking.  He had moved to Lancaster from Ohio in 1987, studied with some of the biggest manes in glassmaking including Dale Chihuly, who has exhibited his impressive and often large-scale glass sculptures across the globe including at the famous Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York.  Ryan owned and operated the Blythe Blass Studio located at 560 S. Prince St. in Lancaster where he worked and offered glassblowing workshops, until the early 2000s.  I, at one time, was interesting in glass work and made a visit to his studio, but never continued with glasswork due at the time to the cost.  In February of 2006, the Lancaster New Era reported his dream if creating a glassmaking hub in Lancaster was broken when he ws evicted from his studio space due to a rent dispute.  Now, Ryan seems to have hit his stride in Seattle, where he currently lives.  In a 2014 story published by the Seattle-based City Arts Magazine, Blythe discussed his path to glassmaking, his interest in skateboarding as a kid, his love of the glassmaking community and his signature glass duck sculptures which he used to raise money for cancer research when his mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  To see Ryan's recent work, visit his Instagram page, @blytheglassartand design.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.