Upcoming class!

[Planet Glass]

I am very excited to begin a two week-end course in pâte de verre. I'll be taking pictures, and will post a summary later on the main website at http://the-glass-artist.com

At the moment, the site only contains skeletonized information, but eventually there will be some flesh to it.

[nanotopia]

I just recently took a course with Anna Boothe at Urban Glass.
The workshop covered Paté de verre, as well as other techniques- mold making, metal components, etc.
I took a ton of pictures, video, and hope to post some soon!
This image shows some of the waxes I was prepping to cast.

Have fun in your class.

Ciao!

http://www.nanopod.tv/waxes1.jpg

[Planet Glass]

I hope no duck was harmed in making your model, haha.

If you ever want to take classes at Espace Verre, you can stay at my house, we just bought a new sofa-bed and it hasn't been "broken into" yet!

Laura Donefer teaches glassblowing there several times a year, and she's G-R-E-A-T with beginners. She's a firm believer in the plastic nature of aesthetics and creativity, by the way she raves on the ugliest of beginner pieces! She's the Great Nurturer of Self-Confidence. And that's what you need the most when tackling glassblowing.

I'm not sure yet what I'll do with the pâte de verre. I better start thinking, it's tomorrow morning.

Did you upload your videos on YouTube?

[Planet Glass]

Report:

My teacher is Donald Robertson (http://www.glassartcanada.ca/s/artistDetail.php?id=43) and he is one cool fellow. He's passionate about glass, his knowledge is vast, and he's hugely entertaining!

Today, we made clay models. I am making a human figure for one piece, and a blue jay for the other. The models are now encased in plaster.

I'm realizing that pâte de verre is really about the technique and the art of moldmaking.

I'm already quite hooked and tons of ideas are dancing in my head. I like that most of the work can be done easily at home. I'm really glad I took all those clay sculpting classes this winter, it will come it very handy.

One of the students is a bronze caster, and I learned that all I need to do to cast bronze, is to make a wax model!!! There is only one place that does this in Quebec, the Inverness Art Foundry (http://www.fonderieart.com/), in a rural town near Victoriaville, 200 km from Montreal. You give them the wax model, and they take care of everything else... then you pay the bill $$$$$.

[Planet Glass]

Well! One of my model spilled out of its wooden box while creating the silica/plaster cast! All over the floor, yikes! We scooped it up and poured it back in.

Lesson learned:

Tie up the wood boards with some wire. Can't hurt!:crossfingers:

[Planet Glass]

Final results!

My album (http://forums.the-glass-artist.com/album.php?albumid=34)

The pictures are bad, my light was low... I should be able to take better ones tomorrow afternoon.

[Planet Glass]

Here's a better shot:

http://forums.the-glass-artist.com/picture.php?albumid=34&pictureid=334

[Mike Jordan]

They look pretty good. Are the pictures all of wax or are some of the glass?

Are you planning to do a lost wax casting? If so, what casting material are you planning on using?

Mike

[Planet Glass]

My picture above is of the final product, glass version. In my profile, I have posted photographs of the wax models.

I have posted pictures of the process that was taught in my class here:

Pâte de verre class with Donald Robertson (http://the-glass-artist.com/1patedeverretutorial01.html)

I didn't put instructions on how to make the glass model though... But I will next time I do make a model.