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Yay, it’s that time of year again – one more day to the IFG 2017
Every two years, I get ridiculously excited about going to Stourbridge. Not that there’s anything at all wrong with the West Midlands, but I look forward to this weekend for WELL over a year . It does seem a bit silly! But it only happens every two years, so I have to wait such a long time between each one. It’s the International Festival of Glass, happening over the bank holiday weekend. It is four glorious days of glass, more glass and glass related things! Spread over several locations up and down the main road in Stourbridge, there are lots of things to see and do. Centre stage is the Glass Bienale, with internationally renowned artists showing some amazing works of glass art. But there are lots of other smaller exhibitions, open studios, performances, and there are always yummy cakes!
This year, I am exhibiting as part of the Festival in two locations. For the last three events, I’ve taken part in the Contemporary Glass Society exhibition – a collection of small, but perfectly formed pieces of glass from members. They are all for sale, all with a theme. This year, we celebrate 20th anniversary of the CGS. This is my piece for that show.
Fizz Bang Wheee!
I am also exhibiting at the Lace Guild. They are also located in Stourbridge (busy town!). They are open as part of the Festival of Glass with a an exhibition titled Through the Looking Glass. Below is one of my submission pieces. The show is a mixture of contemporary lace, traditional pieces and lace inspired glass art. I’ve not seen how they have curated it, but I am really looking forward to how it’s all been put together. Here’s one of the pieces I’ve sent to them.
Through the Looking Glass
If you get chance to go over to Stourbridge this weekend, it’s well worth a visit – maybe see you there! -
Finally Some New Workshops
It’s taken me a while to plan these in – but I thought I better get some dates in the diary before I get fully booked up!
A few dates listed below, which may get added to, or moved, depending on booking or requirements.
The Introduction to Glass Fusing is a full day session (we usually start around 10/10.30am and finish around 4.30pm); on this, you’ll begin by learning to score and break glass safely, you will have an opportunity to practice with some plain window glass and put together a clear glass design. We will then move on to using speciality art glass, designed for glass fusing in a vast array of colours – I will show you a few techniques and different ways to layer and assemble your glass designs. All items will be fired after the session and we arrange a mutually convenient date for collection. All tools, equipment and basic glass requirements are covered in your costs (if you wish to make something exceptionally large or using expensive glass, this can be arranged)
The Glass Taster Session is shorter, approximately 2-3 hours – during this relaxed class, you don’t learn about cutting glass – you work with a clear glass blank and learn how to create a colourful sun-catcher or wall hanging by assembling your design from variety of mosaic sized pre-cut pieces or glass frit (granules). You should be able to make a couple of smaller pieces during this session, or one larger panel. Again, the pieces are fired, ready for collection at a later date.
Group classes require a minimum of three people to book on them to go ahead, but won’t run with more than six. If you have been given a voucher to use for a group workshop from either Craft Courses or one from Dawn Turner Designs, please contact me HERE to reserve a place on your chosen date.
You don’t need to have a Paypal account to pay via the button below, you can also use a bank card, just check out as a guest. The blank text box is if you can do one of the other dates listed, let me know, as it will make coordinating dates a little easier for me.
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I Love Seahorses!
… so I was very pleased when I was commissioned to make a seahorse design for someone.
I was contacted a few months back by someone who’d seen my stained glass seahorse panel which I made years ago as part of an evening class. He is an underwater photographer and diving journalist and asked if I could make one for him.
No, I said, sorry. What? I hear you cry, are you mad? Well, no, I am not (well I might be slightly) but I don’t have the tools and equipment to make stained glass – although I expect my cutting skills would be up to it (you’d think so after 11 years of fusing) – so I showed him some of my more current work, told him how much I loved seahorses and I’d happily make one with no pressure to buy, it was just something I’d wanted to do for a while.
So, here’s Mr Seahorse. I was very pleased with him.
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Art at the Heart….
As well as making glass art work, and teaching and helping others to learn about and create fabulous glass goodies, I also do a fair amount of workshops in schools, community events, day centres and recently, nursing homes.
Some days I’ve been visiting a local care home; a few times I was working one-to-one with a resident living with dementia, others I’ve been working with a group with varying physical abilities, eyesight, hearing, communication difficulties and so on.
I’ve also been working with a local friendship group that runs with the aim to reach out to isolated over 50s.
It’s can be quite a challenge, as the sessions are quite short, so we’re quite limited with what we can do.
But with a bit (a lot!) of careful preparation and forethought, all of the participants have been making some fun and lovely art. So it’s dreary, wet Friday evening right now, so I am going to just post a few images of the lovely work they’ve been creating.
Mosaic birds for the nursing home garden, still to be grouted.
It wouldn’t be one of my workshops without the odd glass lantern!
Playing with the laser cutter to create this funky felt flowers!
