When the torch is roaring with gas and oxygen, the flame looks yellow. This theatrical effect is part of our playful dialogue with glass. We let the glass lead us and inspire us as we experiment with color and methods of glass forming. Led by our imagination we shall create the fragile treasures. Sparklingly transparent and amusing in form, theatrical, whimsical. And as fantastic as we choose. We create our works from glass rods in the torch flame in transparent clear or multi-colored glass, formed with ease and fun. We then further enhance the appearance of our works by painting them, using glass enamels fired into the glass surface. We shall find inspiration from each other, exchanging ideas and collaborating on common projects. We shall be working with rods and canes of borosilicate glass.

This course will introduce students to life-casting materials and processes. We will use silicone rubber to capture an impression of the live figure and transfer that small impression into wax. Using a lost-wax method, students will create a small section of the body/face in glass. This class will cover wax sculpting, moldmaking, glass properties, and annealing. Students should bring a sketchbook and personal sculpting tools. All skill levels are welcome.

Everyone will have an opportunity to stretch their skills and broaden their ideas for creating abstract patterns that can be used in many glassmaking applications. We will explore and practice making murrine which are tiny glass tiles. We will also explore a variety of cane making possibilities for surface design. The materials we make will then be applied to several methods of construction for functional glassware as well as structural applications in sculpture. This class is for anyone who wants to explore intensive design and dialogue in the hot shop. Furnace skills are handy but it’s a class that is applicable to lamp workers, fusers and sculptors alike. All artists encouraged.