Weisser Glass offers a terrific schedule of classes for beginner through professional levels. Courses are offered in stained glass, fusing and kiln forming, beadmaking, glass jewelry, paperweights, glass casting & mosaic. Our goal is to offer the highest quality of instruction in a friendly and helpful environment! New class schedules are posted about every two months.

WE ALSO TEACH PRIVATE LESSONS AND PRIVATE GROUP CLASSES! SELF-DIRECTED BENCH TIME IS ALSO AVAILABLE. CALL OR EMAIL US FOR MORE INFO.

All classes require pre-registration and payment to reserve your space.
You may register by phone at 301-571-8966.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR TUITION CANCELLATION POLICIES

Stained Glass- Beyond Beginner

Thursday evenings, 7-9, April 18, 25, May 2, 9, 23, 30, June 6

Seven 2-hour classes. Tuition $245.00; tools and supplies extra. Previous stained-glass experience required.

This class has an open curriculum allowing students to continue their exploration into stained glass under the supervision and guidance of an experienced instructor. Students might select a new project like a lamp, box, panel, or bring a project in progress. This class is a great way to learn new techniques, get a refresher, have your questions answered, or get help with more advanced projects. We can provide the instruction and extra motivation you need to get that project done!

Batiky Bowls NEW CLASS!

FIVE SEPARATE SESSIONS OFFERED:

NEW SESSION Saturday, April 20, 12:30-3:30

Sunday, May 19, 9:30-12:30 THIS SESSION IS NOW FULL!

Sunday, May 19, 2-5 THIS SESSION IS NOW FULL!

Saturday, May 25, 9:30-12:30 THIS SESSION IS NOW FULL!

NEW SESSION Thursday, June 6, 10-1

3-hour workshop. Tuition $125.00; includes materials and use of tools

Join us for a fun new workshop on creating batiky bowls! In this class you will work with powdered glass and water on the surface of the glass creating your own unique designs with this technique developed by glass artist Lena Beckeus. The resulting patterns and color are reminiscent of traditional batik cloth design. Nancy Weisser adds her own insight and direction on the process and will help students with color and design ideas. A lot to learn while having a really fun time in the studio! No experience is required so get a friend to join the class. Students will have access to a selection of colors and tools to create their 9” fused glass bowl.

Soldering Workshop

Saturday, April 27, 9:30-12

2½-hour class. Tuition $99.00. Students should bring their own soldering iron and some foil-wrapped pieces of glass to practice on.

Soldering is often the hardest part of the copper foil process for artists to master. Problems commonly encountered include poor solder flow, uneven and streaky solder beads, and difficulty getting the proper amount of solder onto the foil for a professional look. The good news is that all these issues can be overcome with the use of proper tools and technique! We’ll cover the tips and tricks to making a smoother bead for a better- looking finish. Students will also learn how to manipulate the solder to create assorted decorative patterns to embellish projects. Guaranteed to improve the look of your solder line!

Powdered Pet Portraits

Saturday, April 27, 1:30-4:30

3-hour workshop. Tuition $99.00; includes supplies and frame.

Create a black and white portrait of a favorite pet or other animal using fusible glass powder! A great introduction to drawing with powders (have no fear-we will teach you), these creations also make amazing gifts for the animal lover in your life. Drawing experience is not required: we will give you tips, guidelines and techniques to assist you in creating realistic portraits. No previous glass experience is required, and all you need to bring is an 8”x8” black and white photo of your favorite pet! We will send you guidelines prior to class. Just look at what some of our students have created in previous sessions!

Mastering the Art of Cutting Glass III-
Around We Go: Circles and Holes in Glass

Sunday, April 28, 9:30-12

2½-hour class. Tuition $95.00; includes practice glass.

A lot of people find making circles and holes in glass to be very intimidating, but they don’t need to be! In this class, we will teach you the tricks to cutting circles, small and large, successfully. We’ll demonstrate the principles behind proper circle cutting, and how to overcome any problems you may be having. Students will also learn a variety of ways to create holes and openings in glass with tools like a Dremel, a drill press, and Ringsaw. You’ll get lots of hands-on practice in this class!

Photo-Resist Sandblasting

Sunday, April 28, 1:30-4:30

3-hour workshop. Tuition $115.00. Previous sandblasting experience recommended.

Learn the basics of this versatile technique! Easily transfer detailed and photographic images to a sandblast resist for etching using a light-sensitive film. Image preparation, film exposure, and film application will be taught. Each student will make their own sample piece and see examples of other various ways to apply this process to glass creations.

Modeling Glass: Feathers and More with Lois Manno
EXPANDED FORMAT FOR 2019!

THIS CLASS IS NOW FULL; PLEASE CONTACT THE SHOP TO BE ADDED TO THE WAIT LIST

Friday, May 3 - Sunday, May 5, 2019
Friday- Saturday, 9:30-5 each day, Sunday, 9:30-3

Three-day workshop. Tuition $725.00.

We’re pleased to welcome Lois Manno back to the Weisser Studio to teach her revolutionary glass sculpting process in a new expanded format workshop!

Over the past five years, Lois Manno has focused her creative energy toward developing a different way to work with powders, one that opens an entire new world of creativity. Traditional techniques of working with frit and powdered glass to create three-dimensional objects tend to be labor-intensive, in the extensive amount of mold-making and painstaking packing required of pâte-de-vérre techniques.

Lois has developed a medium system that turns messy powder into a manageable material with the consistency of clay. The resulting Modeling Glass™ has a smooth, firm texture that stores almost indefinitely! Over the last year since it has become available, more and more artists are turning to Modeling Glass as an easy-to-use alternative to casting techniques to create detailed, highly textured imagery in kiln formed glass. It requires no freezing or molds, the material can be thinned with water to create a variety of effects, and much of the cleanup of the pieces can be done when dry and before firing, which nearly eliminates the need for coldworking. Modeling Glass can hold a great deal of detail at lower temperatures and can also be used to create interesting effects at higher fuse temperatures. It’s possible to do things quickly and easily that would normally take many hours of studio time.

Lois will teach her method of mixing Modeling Glass and students will learn step-by-step how to use the material to make their own realistic glass feathers. Her feathers have become renowned in the glass community for their detail and realism, and students will learn how to use Modeling glass to create their own! Students will also create two other projects to learn other ways this remarkable material can be used; a sculpted glass tile and a sgraffito project combining enamels and Modeling Glass. The potential of working with glass in this way is nearly unlimited and open to further exploration and invention.

Display methods will be discussed and demonstrated. Firing schedules will also be provided.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Lois Manno is a lifelong fine artist and award-winning writer, but fused glass has become her favorite medium. Her work is in several galleries across the country, and she is represented in many collections, including the Department of the Interior. She has been a guest blogger for Bullseye Glass and has devoted herself to perfecting Modeling Glass over the past several years. Lois is excited to share this new product with the glass community and can’t wait to see what creative doors it will open. View more of Lois’ work on her website at www.glassbirdstudios.com and on Facebook at Glass Bird Studios.

Create ‘n’ Bake for Mothers' Day

TWO SESSIONS OFFERED!

Saturday, May 11:
Starts at 10:00 AM, attendees may stay up to 1½ hours (up until 11:30 AM)

(You do not need to stay the entire time if you don’t want!)

Sunday, May 12:
Starts at 10:00 AM, attendees may stay up to 1½ hours (up until 11:30 AM)

(You do not need to stay the entire time if you don’t want!)

For creatives of all ages (under 12 must be accompanied by parent).
Pre-registration and a $10.00 per person deposit are required to hold your space.

Create beautiful Mothers’ Day gifts for that special mom in your life at our popular Create ‘n’ Bake workshop! Choose from multiple fusing projects; prices start at just $10.00. We provide you with everything you need to create! An ideal way to spend creative time with mom, or just a great way to enjoy some quality hassle-free time in the studio being creative. Build as many as you like* and stay for the amount of time you need to finish your masterpiece. Please contact shop for project pricing details. Projects will require pickup on a later date. Pre-registration and a $10.00 per person deposit are required to hold your space in class. *Fees based on projects, see store for additional details.

Working with Hxtal Glue

Saturday, May 11, 2-4

2-hour workshop. Tuition $95.00. No previous experience necessary

HXtal is an archival epoxy that surpasses all other adhesives commonly available for gluing and laminating glass and other non-porous materials. Long used in the antiques and art restoration fields, it is an excellent means to achieve results only possible with “cold fusion”. It dries optically clear and will not deteriorate or degrade over time. Really the only adhesive capable of securing pieces of glass edge-to-edge, that’s only the beginning of what it can do; you can patch flaws and holes in glass, laminate pieces together, attach hanging hardware and even coldwork the glue after curing. Various applications of the glue will be demonstrated and discussed, as well as the proper way to mix the HXtal, prepare the surfaces to be joined, and ways to secure the pieces during the curing process. Students will have the opportunity to mix HXtal and glue scrap glass to get hands-on experience with the process.

NEW CLASS!
Narrative Stained Glass with Joseph Cavalieri

Wednesday- Saturday, May 15-18, 9:30-4:30 each day

4-day workshop. Tuition $895.00 plus a $75.00 material fee due at class. All supplies and use of tools during class provided.

Previous knowledge of stained-glass technique is recommended. Prior drawing or painting experience is NOT necessary!

An innovator in the stained-glass world, Joseph Cavalieri’s work strives to take the art of stained glass out of the cathedral and bring it into everyday life. Joseph is a master of blending traditional stained-glass process with dynamic and imaginative imagery based in pop culture themes. This class is ideal for the artist who knows the basics of stained glass and wants to take it to a whole new level.

In class students will explore Aesop’s Fables as subject, selecting a story to base their work on. Then, with Joseph’s guidance they will create a glass panel approximately 12”x12” using the copper foil technique. Students will learn different processes to create imagery on the glass using kiln-fired paints, including painting, airbrushing, pen-and-ink style drawing, and sandblasting. Once the imagery is complete and fired, students will assemble the panels using the copper foil method of construction to create a finished piece.

In addition to the class curriculum, Joseph will be offering advice on marketing for artists and seeking out and applying for artist residencies.

Batiky Bowls NEW CLASS!

FIVE SEPARATE SESSIONS OFFERED:

NEW SESSION Saturday, April 20, 12:30-3:30

Sunday, May 19, 9:30-12:30 THIS SESSION IS NOW FULL!

Sunday, May 19, 2-5 THIS SESSION IS NOW FULL!

Saturday, May 25, 9:30-12:30

NEW SESSION Thursday, June 6, 10-1

3-hour workshop. Tuition $125.00; includes materials and use of tools

Print, Paint, & Paper Inclusions for Kiln-Formed Glass NEW CLASS!
with Sheila Rosa and Nancy Weisser

Wednesday, May 29 & Thursday, May 30, 10-4:30 each day

2-day workshop. Tuition $395.00; includes materials and use of tools.

Join us for a fun and action-packed class as we explore the many possibilities of paper inclusions in fused glass. See how easy it is to create images and painterly detail using methods like laser decals, enamels for glass, stamping, and much more! Learn to add new dimensions and depth to your fused glass pieces with graphic imagery, subtle watercolor washes, and bold lines, or easily personalize pieces with no fuss and muss. Students will create a series of sample tiles, as well as a finished piece.

Glass Paperweights

Saturday, June 1, & Sunday, June 2, 9:30-4 each day

2-day workshop. Tuition $465.00, includes supplies and use of tools

In this exciting workshop, students will learn techniques similar to those used by glass blowers to create beautifully colored glass paperweights. Learn to gather glass on a punty from a crucible kiln, pick up color, shape and use special studio finishing techniques. Class size is limited to six students. Each student will have time to make three to four paperweights.

Pattern Bars for Kiln Work

Friday-Sunday, June 7-9, 10-4 each day

3-day workshop. Tuition $595.00. Includes glass, materials and use of tools.

Pattern bar making is a fundamental skill for fusers and a fun way to create interesting patterns in fused glass. We will explore various methods for creating bars from simple to more complex. Explore planning your designs, methods of stacking, damming, molding and thinking outside the box for advanced and unique variations. You will also learn how to cut the bars and learn ways to construct and design with pattern bar slices. This class is great for both the first-time pattern bar maker as well as the student that would like to explore more pattern bar making options. After creating various styles of pattern bars students will learn how to cut, construct, fire and finish work made completely of pattern slices as well as using pieces as elements in combination with other methods. Each student will create at least one completed artwork as well as have a stack of parts to take home. Firing, cold working and finishing are covered as well.

NEW CLASS!
The Altered Book + Glass with Susan Taylor Glasgow

Thursday, June 13- Saturday, June 15, 9:30-5 each day

Three-day workshop. Tuition $695.00; an additional material fee of $50.00 is due first day of class.

Weisser Glass welcomes Susan Taylor Glasgow back to the studio with this new action-packed workshop! Students will use a book as the foundation for a mixed media and glass sculptural assemblage. Various glass processes will be taught for making components for the works. Open face casting, silk-screening with enamels on glass, and applying text and imagery in and on glass will be taught. A variety of joining techniques, adhesives,and methods for incorporating concept and narrative will also be covered.This class will explore the qualities that strengthen visual impact and the message of an artist’s work, while embracing happy explorations in creativity. Susan is such an accomplished artist with so much advice to offer- you should not miss this chance to study with her. Plus, you will walk away with a unique altered book sculpture and the confidence to take mixed media further in your own practice.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Susan Taylor Glasgow’s work pays extensive tribute to the era of Mother, Father, Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet in a language composed of images appropriated from the world of ‘50s and ‘60s TV and advertising. She says she "sews, cooks and arranges" glass to reconcile the conflict over work and home, feminist ideals and the Madonna complex, duty and fulfillment. The bustier forms of her Chandelier Dresses are a fantasy, which reminds us of the way things never were.

Glasgow grew up in Duluth, Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a BFA in Design. Her sculptures are included in the collections of the Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR, the Alexander Tutsek Foundation, Münich, Germany, the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburg, PA, the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA and the Museum of American Glass, Millville, NJ. Susan Taylor-Glasgow lives and works in Columbia, Missouri.

Stained Glass- Beyond Beginner

Thursday evenings, 7-9, June 20, 27, July 11, 18, 25, August 1, 8

Seven 2-hour classes. Tuition $245.00; tools and supplies extra. Previous stained-glass experience required.

Stained Glass Weekend- Prairie Panels

Saturday, June 22, 9:30-4:30 & Sunday, June 23, 9:30-12:30

1½-day workshop. Tuition $275.00; includes use of tools and some supplies. Students purchase glass and metal. Previous lead experience is required.

Learn the tricks and secrets to creating traditional Mission and Prairie-style leaded panels in this weekend crash course! Unlike a typical leaded panel, students will learn strip cutting and methods of cutting on jigs, enabling them to build their piece as they cut their glass. These techniques streamline the building process and help to create beautiful crisp, straight lines with minimal grinding and fitting. There will be a thorough review of the putty process, and students may have an opportunity to putty their panels, time permitting. Patterns will be provided, and there’s no need to purchase tools! Each student will complete a leaded panel approximately 9”x12”.

Telling the Story in Glass: Fused Glass Sgraffito Drawing with Kelly Crosser Alge

Thursday- Saturday, July 11-13, 10-5 each day

3-day workshop. Tuition $695.00; includes materials and use of tools. Previous drawing or glass experience is not required, but an open mind and some fusing knowledge is helpful.

A deposit of $345.00 is required to reserve your spot; tuition balance of $350.00 will be due May 1, 2019.

Popular glass instructor Kelly Crossler Alge returns to Weisser to teach the use of glass frits and powders to draw two-dimensional imagery in glass. This is meant to be a crossover course, joining elements of fine art and fine craft together. Students will explore traditional ideas of drawing and using a very non-traditional approach; using glass to interpret line, value, contrast, texture, color, movement, gesture, narrative, and composition. Forget your misconception “I can’t draw”- this class will change your mind as Kelly guides you through her process of developing imagery in a single firing!

In addition to learning simple tricks of the trade and improvised technical drawing skills, students will have the freedom and individual encouragement to experiment with using glass to create drawn imagery that tell a story, evokes emotion, and expresses mood. Other topics and processes covered in the workshop will include kiln-formed canes and murrine, use of non-traditional and inexpensive tools, incorporating color, reactive glass, volume control, firing schedules, and finishing. By the time you leave class, you will have gained a new awareness of the visual language that is possible with kiln-formed glass, as well as confidence to see and express yourself as an artist.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

"Glass has gripped me from day one. In its many forms, glass is the one medium that has allowed me to create using combinations of art techniques I love from other media. Collage, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, painting, photography, and design... all come together with glass and heat as common ground.

“I'm a self-taught glass artist, specializing in fused glass sgraffito drawing and collage.

"I studied studio art for 4 years in the BFA program at Ohio Northern University, where I focused on ceramics, figure drawing, and watercolor before leaving school to start a family. My first experiences and adventures in glass began after college in 1995. I saved money from teaching art to groups of homeschooled students and purchased a tiny kiln, and the glass experimenting bonanza began in my garage. My favorite way to work with glass is a method I call ‘glass powder sgraffito drawing’. You can read more about my work and the technique I use in this recent article: Making Art from Scratch”

NEW CLASS!
A Comprehensive Guide to Colors for Earth with Mark Hufford

Wednesday, August 21- Friday, August 23

3-day workshop. Tuition $695.00; includes materials and use of tools. NO PRIOR DRAWING OR PAINTING EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!

A deposit of $345.00 is required to reserve your spot; tuition balance of $350.00 will be due June 1, 2019.

Colors for Earth has a huge range of versatile fire-in paints and supplements that can create virtually any effect you could imagine. But where do you even begin…? Mark Hufford will share his amazing talent and depth of knowledge of these products in this fun and action-packed class, and pass along his tips and techniques to his students. If you’ve ever wanted a skilled master to show you how it all works, this class is for you!

Suitable for every level of artist, Mark has designed this workshop to showcase the different products that Colors for Earth makes and the endless creative possibilities that can be achieved with them! Students will create many 4” sample tiles with Colors for Earth Glass Enamels, Outline and Piping Paste, BubbleArt, Sparkles, and Color Concentrates. By creating this series of samples, students will learn the many ways these products can be used, both through single-layer application and with multiple layered surfaces.

In addition, Mark will provide information on firing, do’s and don’ts, and making repairs on fired glass pieces. Students will explore the use of patterns, guides, photo references and how to best determine the method for transferring of images to the glass in preparation for painting. This is a thorough and comprehensive guide to Colors for Earth products and their assorted uses; a fantastic starter class, or thorough refresher for returning students. All levels welcome!

NEW CLASS!

Painting on Powder: Watercolor Effects with Mark Hufford

Saturday, August 24- Monday, August 26

3-day workshop. Tuition $695.00; includes materials and use of tools

A deposit of $345.00 is required to reserve your spot; tuition balance of $350.00 will be due June 1, 2019.

A new method developed by Mark Hufford and covered briefly in his new book, “The Art of Fused Glass Enamel Painting”!

Watercolor painting achieves its unique beauty through a series of transparent color applications onto a surface that provides luminosity as light reflects up through the color layers. Mark has created a technique that makes this possible in fused glass by painting on a prepared powdered frit surface!

In this workshop, students will use translucent underglazes to create soft watercolor-style landscapes on powdered frit. Various applications of colors onto the powder will be explored, as well as adjusting firing schedules to achieve different results.

Students will each create their own watercolor-style landscape, in addition to two smaller pieces. (Information on landscape images to bring will be provided prior to class)

Contemporary Pâte-de-Vérre Forms with Alicia Lomné

Wednesday- Sunday, September 18- 22

5-day workshop. Tuition $1,150.00

A deposit of $580.00 is required to secure your spot. Tuition balance of $570.00 is due July 1.

Suitable for all levels of experience; returning students are encouraged to sign up!

We’re thrilled to have Alicia Lomné return to teach her unique approach to the ancient art of pâte-de-vérre. Alicia employs her own signature style to create stunning, delicately detailed vessel forms. In this class students learn how to create molds from models they hand build in class. Then Alicia teaches her methods of hand-packing layers of colored glass frit and powder into the mold making a tremendous range of color and design options possible.

This class will provide a solid base of technical information, and students will explore a variety of casting processes used by Alicia in creating her vessel forms. This will include model making, mold construction, color mixing, and color placement. She will also cover the use of inclusions in the mold; returning students will be encouraged to further explore these types of structures in their pieces. Discussions will cover firing schedules and the use of temperature to attain specific effects.

Students new to this technique will receive all the information they need to work on their own after the class and returning students may continue their study by working with more involved designs. By the end of this class, you will feel confident in making a mold, packing it with glass, and then programming and firing on your own.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Alicia Lomné, has dedicated the past ten years to exploring techniques in pâte de verre. She shows her extraordinary work in galleries across the U.S. and has taught pâte-de-verre workshops across the country and the globe including Anla Glass (Denmark), Creative Glass (Switzerland), Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Crafts, the Corning Museum Studio and Bullseye Glass Co. Lomné lives and works in Tacoma, Washington. You may see more of her work at alicialomne.com.

Reverse Glass Painting and Design with Cheryl Chapman

Thursday- Sunday, October 3-6
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 9:30-4:30 each day, Sunday 9:30-12:30

3½-day workshop. Tuition $795.00; includes materials and use of tools.

A deposit of $395.00 is required to reserve your spot; tuition balance of $400.00 due August 1.

We’re excited to welcome back glass painter Cheryl Chapman to the Weisser Studio! In this popular class students learn Cheryl’s methods of painting on glass that can then be taken into many styles and directions for fusers. Enamel painting on glass is a fun way to use clear glass to create unique, stunning and surprisingly detailed images. Opaque glass enamels have a bright luminosity and reflective quality all their own. Unlock the secrets to mixing FuseMaster high fire opaque enamels with both oil and water mediums, working in reverse, the texturing style of grisaille and the stages of applying colored enamels, layering glass and firing to a finished piece. Cheryl will work with you on your personal imagery working from books, a sketch or photograph developing your design and finished project over three and a half days using Cheryl’s multi-stage techniques to create your piece of art. The focus of this class is on the technical skills so you will be able to take your knowledge home to develop your glass painting style. Each student will complete an approximately 9” tile or bowl as well as practice pieces.

Master Class in Painterly Glass with Kari Minnick

Thursday, October 24- Monday, October 28

5-day workshop. Tuition $1,095.00.
A deposit of $545.00 is required to reserve your spot; tuition balance of $550.00 due August 1.

Prior glass experience is beneficial but not required.

Kari ups her game again with her newest workshop “Painterly Glass”. In this creative workshop students learn methods of creating a two-dimensional glass composition or panel using glass materials to achieve a painterly or painting-like quality. But…NO PAINT OR ENAMEL WILL BE USED!

We will use Bullseye glass, powder, frit and stringer to simulate paint and highlight the unique qualities that working with glass brings to the process. Gritty, slick, or robust relief, kilnforming materials and processes give us a vast range of painterly styles from creamy impasto to ephemeral watercolor washes. Students will learn painterly effects by utilizing unusual wet and dry powder processes, multiple firings and careful temperature control.

Painterly glass is more than the techniques used to achieve it. It is a mindset; a consideration of “the big picture”; layer by glass layer. Students will explore technique that supports strong composition, rich surfaces, and depth. Color, composition, and the effective use of opacity and transparency will be considered. Students will develop ideas through preliminary sketches, paper cut outs and/or test pieces leading to the completion of two larger glass projects.

Topics to be covered include: color mixing, considering both sides of the glass, layering strategies, light transmission as well as 2D to 3D by slumping, draping or function.

Prior glass experience is beneficial but not required. This highly creative and hands-on course is of interest to kiln glass workers as well as artists of other media.

Precious Metal Silver Clay and Glass with Gail Stouffer

Thursday, November 7, 9:30-5, & Friday, November 8, 9:30-3:30

2-day workshop. Tuition $495.00, with a $65.00 material fee due at class.

A deposit of $245.00 is required to reserve your space. Balance $250.00 due September 1. The $65 material fee will be due the first day of class.

Learn to combine sterling silver precious metal clay* and fused glass in this exciting workshop with Gail Stouffer! On the first day of the workshop, students will create beautiful and unusual fused glass jewelry focal pieces, as well as matching sterling metal clay “jackets” to set them in. On day two, after firing the components, you’ll put everything together, drilling holes in your glass and metal clay pieces, riveting them, and using some silver soldering techniques as well. Your jewelry piece will have a unique design on both sides, making it a truly reversible piece of wearable art! The perfect workshop for glass fusers or metal clay workers who want to learn more techniques for creating specialty art jewelry projects.

*Precious metal clay can be formed like any soft clay. After firing, the binder contained in the clay is burned away leaving a solid metal form.

NEW FORMAT- NO PREVIOUS METALWORKING EXPERIENCE NEEDED!

Realistic Gardens and Faceted Stones: Metalsmithing with Sterling Silver & PMC
with Gail Stouffer

Saturday, November 9- Monday, November 11, 9:30-5 each day

3-day workshop. Tuition $695.00, with a material fee of $200.00 due at class

A deposit of $345.00 is required to reserve your space; tuition balance of $350.00 will be due September 1. The $200.00 material fee will be due the first day of class.

An amazing class, perfect for beginners who want to learn basic metalsmithing and PMC techniques, or for the metal worker who wants to expand their portfolio and work on their nature-inspired design skills in silver! NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED!

On the first day, students will learn the basics of soldering sterling silver jewelry components using a butane micro torch. Mastering basic soldering skills will open the door to the most exciting jewelry projects. Gail will cover torch safety, basic paste soldering, multi-stage soldering, types of solder, pickling, patinas and polishing. Students will also practice setting a semi-precious stone into one of their pendants in preparation for their garden-inspired pieces. Basic metalsmithing skills will be covered, including using metal shears, filing, basic fabrication and design planning.

On days two and three, students will concentrate on more advanced techniques, to help them create realistic and cohesive nature-inspired jewelry pieces. Some of the techniques students will learn include:

IDENTIFYING & GATHERING FOCAL AND SUPPORT INSPIRATIONS- Design using the real thing! We’ll gather local flora, make still life arrangements, document, sketch, and photograph our inspirations. Using these reference points, we’ll plan the components necessary to create a full body of work.

MAKING MOLDS FOR METAL CLAY COMPONENTS- Sculpture will be our focal point, and our faceted stones are our highlights! We’ll create all the molds necessary to bring our arrangements to life. These molds are the jumping off point that will allow for flexibility in designing the individual pieces in your collection.

MULTI-STAGE SOLDERING- Sterling sheet is the canvas upon which we’ll build our pieces and arrange our embellishments, stone settings, and findings. First, we’ll create the parts we need, and then we’ll solder these multiple components, finally cutting and filing our pieces into shape using the fun and effective JoolTool machine.

SETTING STONES- We’ll highlight our pieces with multiple tube settings and sparkling semi-precious stones. Small settings need special care and process, you’ll learn to manage heat and add multiple settings and findings at once.

Students will leave this class with 3-4 finished pieces. This workshop will serve as an excellent standalone class, or as a great introduction to incorporating more metalsmithing and PMC techniques into your glass work!