Icefire Glassworks 

Across the way, a hillside of shadowy conifers looms against the sky. Before the Storm, I mentally title the scene.

Then, sure enough, the rain hits. We zip up, speed-walk to our car, and drive south to Midtown. After checking out Cannon Beach Gallery, a nonprofit run by the local artists' association, we duck into Icefire Glassworks, a glassblowing studio showcasing four artists, including owners James Kingwell and Suzanne Kindland. On a cold, stormy day on the Oregon coast, when the sky seems to liquefy, nothing warms your aesthetic sensibilities like the fire red glow from the furnace. Helps thaw your hands too.

left: At Icefire Glassworks, watch owner James Kingwell at work.