Teaching Schedule & Class Descriptions

"Finish it Up: Polishing, Beveling and Cold Working”
½ Day class

 “Cold Working” is a term used for all kinds of drilling, grinding and polishing processes that are performed outside of the kiln, torch or furnace. What often sets the pros apart from the amateurs is their attention to edge and surface finishing. Glass straight out of the kiln frequently has unsightly burs, tags and irregularities that need to be addressed before the piece is truly finished. In this class you will see how different cold working options can change the overall elegance and appearance of a finished piece of art. You will learn about the different tools used such as lap grinders, pneumatic or electric hand grinder/polisher, wet belt sander and beveling machines. You will also experience the step by step procedures that take a piece from roughly ground to highly polished.

This is primarily a lecture/demo class although there is some time allotted for each student a have an opportunity to grind and polish a piece of glass. 

Students need to bring: Pen and paper, Safety glass and dust mask (if they are going to use the equipment) and a willingness to learn. Students are also encouraged to bring a piece of glass from home or another class for discussion.

Registration $95.00

“Relief Image Kiln Forming”

In this class you will explore a unique way of casting glass over the top of a refractory plaster model thus leaving a relief image in the back portion of the glass. Since the design element will be in the back of the piece and viewed by looking though the front of the glass; clarity, color density and bubbles are of great concern. The goal is to achieve a degree of optical quality using kiln forming techniques. Some of the keys to this process are the reusable mold materials and unique containment forms which withstand taking the glass to higher than normal temperatures. This is a multi-step process involving mold making, creating a rubber negative form, casting a high temperature positive followed by loading, firing and finishing the glass. The workshop ends with a discussion on finishing, lighting and displaying the final piece. The results are truly unique and the class is as fun as it is informative. Don’t miss this one.

Please bring to class: Glasscutter, Safety glasses, Pen or pencil.

Many of the more intriguing pieces of fused glass are made by combining pre-made components. This exciting class combines edge strip designs, cast elements and delicate stringer patterns with the optical depth created when the glass is thicker than the standard 1/4 inch. The day will start out with a brief slide show presentation of works made using these techniques followed by students creating stringer, frit and sheet components. The parts will later be used as design elements when combined with strips of glass fused on edge. Other surface decorations are then added to these ornate 5” x 5” x 3/8” thick tiles. Finishing, cold working, lighting and display options will then be discussed as part of this multi-dimensional exploration into the tricks used to work thick.

Along with eagerness to learn new glass working skills, students should bring a glass cutter, safety glasses and any favorite glass working tools.

RECENT PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION
Ninth South TRAX light rail station. Located at 9th South and 2nd West Salt Lake City Utah.
This is a $70,000 public arts project commissioned by the Salt Lake Arts Council and Utah Transit Authority opening November 2005. The installation is titled "Faces of Our Neighborhood" and consists of three 14' metal and glass sculptures depicting faces of actual people from the neighborhood. The sculptures are mounted in a group with the back portion of the glass left open and back lit at night to take advantage of light being transmitted through the glass. There are also four benches in this installation in the shape of cupped hands with large fused glass panels depicting fabric patterns of the different ethnic groups of the area. The panels are bent to fit the curvature of the bench and are inlaid into the back portion of each bench. One of the benches has a Salt Lake City sky line cut into the glass panel and one has a neighborhood skyline cut into the glass.

 
Statement:
When team members Dan Cummins, Dinah Ihle and myself set out to do this installation with a loose theme of House and Home we set our sites on involving the neighborhood as much as possible. By making casting of faces from school kids in the neighborhood and using them in the sculptures we gave the neighborhood a sense of ownership. By forming the benches in the shape of a cupped hand caressing it's patrons in a glass fabric of one of the ethnic groups of the area was our way of conveying a feeling of comforted and security. This all working with the theme of House and Home.