Have Kiln Will Travel - On The Road!

I have been spending a lot of my time planning out the fall season of HKWT events. There will be over 20 sites where classes and events will be held this fall, and brand new classes too.

I am especially excited to be teaching at the Edina Art Center and the Hopkins Center For The Arts for the first time this fall. I will be returning to the Bloomington Art Center to repeat the successful six week Introduction To Glass Fusing, and will feature the student's work here in a few weeks after the projects are completed.

I am also proud to be teaching for the first time in my home town of Savage at the Savage Art Studios & Gallery. I hope to form a long standing relationship with my neighbors there.

The link for all of these locations is to the left.

Some of the new projects are shown here. The Art Glass Wind Chime is fun to make. Students learn some basic glass cutting skills and get to choose what type and color of glass they want to use. They also do all the stringing using fishing line and crimps. They sound really great. I was surprised at the quality of the sound when I made the first one and hung it. Each piece of glass creates its own sound based on the overall size and shape so no two chimes sound exactly alike! Unfortunately, unlike the jewelry class, we do not do the fusing during the class. The finished pieces will be mailed to students.

The Fused Glass Jewelry (and much more... hint, hint guys) is being offered many times over the coming months. It remains an amazing day of learning, sharing, and fun.

The Art Glass Flower Vase class is a new addition. Students will create a

pocket vase which will hang on a wall. They will choose what glass they want for the front and back and they will decorate the front with glass elements. One technique is to use glass paste in a cake decorator bag and squeeze out a design just like you would for decorating a cake. It is actual glass and when fused the design is transformed into permanent glass. Many glass options are provided to create the vase which is hung by to braided copper loops fused into the glass. Students will learn how to braid copper wire to form the attractive hanging loops.

Another new course is an Introduction to Enameling. This will be a wonderful adventure in glass on metal as some folks call it. Enamels are finely ground glass with very intense pigments so you don't need that much to make a bright colorful design. It is so much fun watching the enamels melt into glass right before your eyes in minutes. The little kilns have viewing ports so you can watch the transformation happen. You can add layers of colors and repeatedly fire the enamel to build very interesting designs, gradations, and textures.

Regular glass fusing takes many hours to perform its magic. Enameling on the other hand is the craft for those who can't wait! Instant gratification, or should I saw glassification!

Forward the link to HKWT to your friends. Their is bound to be a class in your area.