And, it’s almost October which means Halloween, Thanksgivings and, Holiday madness (& possibly some Mayan prophecies).

This year I am not participating in the QWAC or City of Craft however, nanopod will be celebrating Dia de Los Muertos October 21st @the Great Hall noon to 6pm (Dovercourt & Queen) please come check out the show and, cabaret! Yes, I will have glass sugar skulls available for sale!

Meanwhile,

There’s an AMAZING new workshop on the horizon @nanopodstudio! Spaces have already started to fill- which is exciting and, could lead to more of these classes taking place in 2013, check it out & spread the news! Nothing else like it in Toronto!

Glass casting workshop (small scale)

Working with beautiful crystal – Gaffer Glass,  soda lime- Bullseye glass as well as recycling wine and/or beer bottles students will learn different firing and annealing schedules for casting glass.

Items made during this workshop may include: tiles, components for jewelry, small sculptural pieces, cabinet knobs, belt buckles, scientific models 😉 botanicals, etc.

Overview of glass casting methods and inspirations
Process for designing your own unique pieces
Pate de verre will be discussed and demonstrated. Pate de verre involves making a paste of glass that is applied to the surface of the mold, then fired. Bullseye glass will be used for this method.
Sculpting techniques: clay and wax
Mold making techniques: working with Alginate, open face box casting and, shell with Castalot
Kiln preparations
Firing/Annealing of your piece
Cold working/polishing

Once objects have been cast in glass, various cold working processes will be demonstrated that can further change the form and surface of the piece. Students are encouraged to bring objects to mold, drawings, ideas, and enthusiasm. Safety issues will be discussed! Each student will receive 1 pair of safety glasses and, 1 disposable particulate respirator. Students are welcome to bring in their own respirators and, safety glasses. All materials and, expendables are included! Or, BYOB 🙂

Glass casting workshop (small scale)

Intro starts Friday, January 11 2013 6-8:30pm, then runs Saturdays Jan 12, 19, 26 11am – 4pm, and Sundays Jan 13, 20, 27 11am – 4pm                                       5 Student max., 3 student min.  $500pp Deposit of $200 to hold space.

Meanwhile, here’s some inspiration: Rene Lalique, Shinichi and Kimiake Higuchi, Jessica Townsend, Anna Boothe (who I studied with), Rob Snyder

The possibilities are endless! I will post images of my current work soon!