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At the completion of the class, participants will leave with glass 'samplers' and two completed fused glass projects. This is a three session class held on three consecutive afternoons.
NOTE: In order to use Open Studio Access or Monitored Open Studio for your own projects, you must demonstrate competency in glass cutting, grinder use, mold prep, and kiln use. This mandatory course will address those competencies. Due to the idiosyncrasies of the glass studio and our teaching methods & logistics this class is for seasoned artists as well.
There is a materials fee of $85 included in the class price. Remember to wear close-toed shoes & long pants in the Glass Studio at all times! This is a strictly enforced safety policy. Thank you.
Instructors: Diane Bonciolini, Constance Ducar, & Tobi Strevall
Diane Bonciolini: The "olini" of Mesolini Glass Studio, Diane's love of glass is her passion. As a full-time glass artist who has lived and worked on Bainbridge Island since 1977, she grows and changes with every project. She describes glass, her medium of choice, as having a life of its own. This multifaceted medium shows itself in each of her creations: stained glass, slumped and fused glass, lamp work, or glass combined with concrete.
Constance Ducar is relatively new to fusing glass and is a member of the Glass Art Studio Steering Committee. She is enthusiastic about working with beginning students and encouraging a love for glass. She is also active in the Fiber Arts Studio.
For more information: glass.lead@bainbridgebarn.org
This class is designed for participants who have previous experience making fused glass items. Students need to demonstrate basic tool use and studio safety. For BARN Guests, successful completion of the short class will be allowed access to the glass studio for working on fused glass projects during monitored open studio hours only. Members will be authorized to use the studio outside of open studio hours. This class does not apply to personal use of kilns or cold working equipment.
Areas covered for the Skills Class:
· Personal Safety
· Use of Fused Glass Tools
· Basic Understanding of Glass Compatibility
· Mold Use and Maintenance
· Effects Heat and Time in a Kiln Have on Glass
This class will cover the practical matters of studio use. Participants will be given and asked to read the Glass Arts Studio – Safety & Use Procedures, and to complete the Glass Arts Studio – Safety & Use Procedures Sign-off.
Participants should bring in items they have made.
------------------------------------------------------- Remember to wear close-toed shoes & long pants in the Glass Studio at all times! This is a strictly enforced safety policy. Thank you.
Students will create a mosaic birdbath to take home to their garden. The class is designed to teach techniques including base material selection, mosaic design, cutting dishes and tiles to create the visual elements of the mosaic, setting the pieces with mortar, and finally grouting the piece utilizing a traditional mortar and grout process.
A materials fee of $45 is included in the price of the class. The materials fee covers the cost of the terracotta base, all tools, materials and supplies including a variety of dishes and tiles, mortar, color tint, and grout. Students may bring china or pottery dishes or tiles for possible inclusion in their bird bath.
Instructor: Darcy Thompson - Artcycled Mosaics
Darcy Thompson has taught mosaic classes for the Schack Arts Center in Everett, Bassetti Gardens in Woodinville as well as private classes. She has been a working artist for over 20 years and shows her work at a variety West Coast art shows including the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour as well as in various galleries. She is entirely self taught and loves to teach the varied steps in the process of re-purposing cracked or broken plates into fun and colorful mosaics for the home and garden.
Students will learn the intriguing techniques of intentionally embedding decorative bubbles in kiln-formed glass as well as learn several variations on this theme. It's a great class for beginners as well as more advanced students to add a few more skills to take fused glass work in new directions. Students will create two medium sized bubble plates with opportunity to explore variations.
The Materials fee includes specialty glass and stringers. All tools are available in the Studio.
Instructor Bio: Tiffany Noel Thiele
Tiffany has been working in fused glass for over 15 years. She has been fortunate to learn from many talented master artists from all over the world who have had an immense impact on her work. Over the years she has taught art at the Swedish Cancer Institute for patients and their care-givers. Her glass work can be found at the Seattle Art Museum Shop and the Art Project on Bainbridge Island.
There will be a $10 materials fee included in your registration fee. Remember to wear close-toed shoes & long pants in the Glass Studio at all times! This is a strictly enforced safety policy. Thank you.
Instructor: Gregg Mesmer has been cutting glass professionally for decades. He and his wife, Diane Bonciolini, moved to Bainbridge Island in 1977 and started the iconic Mesolini Glass Studio. The techniques they have used over the years are varied and diverse. Gregg's expertise is in techniques involved in fabrication, not only glass cutting, but also leading, soldering and glazing of stained glass windows. Over the years, he has taught for Northwest Art Glass, the Bainbridge park district and Olympic College.
In this unique class, you will explore the meditative technique of powdered glass frit. Using frit powders of various colors and choosing previously dried foliage you will create striking floral images in this class.
In the three-hour session you will come to understand the necessary safety practices and clean up using glass powders. You will cut your basic shapes out of glass. Then with step-by-step instruction you will practice the process of layering frit to colorize the dried foliage you have chosen to decorate your dishware. Frit combined with foliage creates delicate organic images that will compliment your food presentation or anything you might imagine.
In this class you will produce one 8” x 8” square swoop serving piece and up to five 3” x 3” condiment dishes.
There is a $45 materials fee included in the class tuition.
Note: Instructions will be sent to each student on how to dry & store your foliage before class.
Instructor: Diane Bonciolini
The "olini" of Mesolini Glass Studio, Diane's love of glass is her passion. As a full-time glass artist who has lived and worked on Bainbridge Island since 1977, she grows and changes with every project. She describes glass, her medium of choice, as having a life of its own. This multifaceted medium shows itself in each of her creations: stained glass, slumped and fused glass, lamp work, or glass combined with concrete.
The beauty of stained glass windows can be breathtaking. They can evoke emotion by your attachment to them or simply by their singular beauty. When broken or in disrepair they can pull on your heartstrings. In this class you will learn to restore and revitalize your windows giving them a new lease on life, learning through demonstrations and from each other by observation, situation, and discussion. Your windows can be colored or textured, antique or contemporary, held in place with lead came or copper foil.
In consideration of limited class time, windows should be removed from their wooden sash if possible. They should be brought into the studio supported on plywood or wallboard approximately 3” longer & wider then your project.
In this class you will learn the techniques you need to restore your window. Depending on the damage or age of the window, you may not be able to completely restore it during the time allotted. However, you will be learning and doing the steps necessary to finish your project.
Please bring a notebook, and a lunch or snack as those who want to can take a break mid session.
NOTES:
This class will not cover Stained Glass Lamps.
Wallboard can be found at Home Depot in 2' x 2' pre-cut pieces. Other sizes may also be available.
Instructors: Gregg Mesmer and Diane Bonciolini have worked in tandem since 1977 when they started Mesolini Glass Studio on Bainbridge. Their glasswork combines precise technical skill and fabrication with creative design. Diane & Gregg’s expertise is loosely divided between design and fabrication, after all these years they are in constant collaboration. Their sophisticated glass dishware, fused glass murals, public art, and stained glass have become known hallmarks of their career.
Coldworking is a subtractive way of altering and sculpting glass once it is cold. This process can be anything from seaming edges on glass plates to completely transforming the identity of a hot-formed object. In this 2 session class we will learn, in depth different approaches to the belt sander, wet saw, and hand lapping, discussing the potential of each technique. We will learn how to bring rough ground surfaces to a full polish, and talk about the aesthetic possibilities of leaving a surface matte. We will also cover glass glues and their possibilities in an artist’s work. The first day will include a safety talk and demos on each machine. We will walk through the rules of what tool to use for what purpose and have time on the machines to get our projects moving. The second day will be a day focused on students working, become familiar with each machine, and ask for specific demos and tips. Students will gain the most from this class if they come with some of their own glass and a plan or some sketches on the potential alterations they are interested in making.
Instructor Bio: William Miller grew up in Virginia and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with his B.F.A. in Craft and Material Studies and a minor in Art History. He was first introduced to glassblowing in VCU's Hot Shop. Seduced by the magic of the material, he has set out on a relentless pursuit to make glassblowing the central focus of his life. He has studied at the Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Craft, and the Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass.
Miller utilizes distinct color selections that are layered and blown in the hot shop. Once cool, he cuts and engraves the surface of the glass to create line and texture. The process of carving the glass is slow and meditative, which balances the relative immediacy of its initial creation. This process allows him to build an intimate relationship with each piece, which informs the direction of the cuts and texture that are applied to create unique and visually striking glass objects.
The artist currently resides in Seattle where he works in the vibrant glassblowing community and continues to explore his artistic voice.
------------------------------------------------------- Remember to wear close-toed shoes and long pants in the Glass Studio at all times! This is a strictly enforced safety policy. Thank you.
This an intensive 4 session class to learn about some of the wonderful options for working with glass powders. In this class students will be guided through some ways of working with powders to create visually complex and layered 4x4 samples.
Design concepts will be discussed, as well as how to work with color. No previous experience with glass is necessary, but knowing about how to cut glass will be helpful.
Students will receive all supplies necessary to work with the glass. Please bring an x-acto knife and blades, a small cutting mat, a small sharpie, a few manila folders (these can be used ones) and any stencils they already have.
Instructor: Martha Pfanschmidt
Martha Pfanschmidt has been working as a professional artist since joining a printmaking studio in 1982. She has taught at university and privately for 30 years. Her love of art and of creating beautiful objects has inspired her to explore a variety of media, but currently she works in printmaking, encaustic painting and kiln glass. Her work is in many private and public collections, and has been shown all over the world. She is represented by Bullseye Projects in Portland, Oregon, Davidson Gallery in Seattle, Washington and Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
This 2 session beginning mosaic class covers the different types of materials used to create mosaics as well as adhesives, bases, and grouting. You will learn to use the tools, select the materials, and where to purchase what is needed to create a mosaic.
Creating a simple trivet out of glass tiles, stained glass and gems allow students to focus on learning basic mosaic techniques. The project will teach skills such as cutting stained glass and tile, different approaches to applying materials, and selecting grout. On day 1, we design the mosaic and adhere the design to the base, and on day 2 we grout and complete the project. At the end of the class you will have the knowledge to create simple mosaic projects on your own as well as a mosaic trivet.
There is a materials fee of $35 which is included in the cost of the class. Remember close-toed shoes and long pants in the Glass Studio at all times. This is a strictly enforced safety policy. Bring an apron as this can be a messy medium!
Instructor: Gillian Allard first fell in love with mosaics in Barcelona’s Park Güell after seeing the work of Anton Gaudi. Her first art pieces were stepping stones. She then progressed to furniture and signs. Most of her work is inspired by discarded or broken dishes that become one-of-a-kind functional pieces for the garden and home. In addition to china, pottery and stoneware, a variety of glass tile and gems, broken tile and found objects are incorporated into her designs. The breaking of the ceramics is organic and random in nature and one of her goals is to capture that energy. Recreating memories reusing materials are an important part of her mosaic work. When someone gives me a broken dish and I can give it back to them recreated and ready to function again, I have united the best elements of this art form.
BARN Bazaar begins for public at 10 am to 3:00 pm
More information to be posted in October.
