Pâte de verre workshops 

Option 1: 3hr workshop, $150pp Friday afternoon or evenings January 27th noon-3pm or 5pm-8pm

Participants learn how to fill a pre-made mould of a small bowl or skull (think sugar skull), these pieces are then fired and participants return to the studio to divest and finish their pieces. Materials included, no experience necessary!

Option 2: 10hr workshop, Saturday Feb 10th, 10am-5pm (w/lunch break), 2nd day/evening scheduled during workshop, 3-6pm or 6:30pm-9:30pm $250pp  

Ars Vitraria Experimentalis : kiln casting Sand casting workshop
6 Sessions: Saturday &  Sunday afternoons, 1pm – 5pm, Next course starts February TBA 2017 $430 includes materials. This course is perfect for people looking to turn non-glass items into glass, sculpt items out of clay/wax to be cast in glass, incorporate other materials with cast glass (wood, cement, stone, found items, etc). Using the lost wax casting process as well as sand casting, this course covers various mould making techniques. Adding metal inclusions. Packing moulds with glass, casting and annealing cycles, working with alginate, making silicone moulds to replicate pieces.  Students will learn how to hand finish pieces; grind, sand, and cut glass. Participants in this class will create original sculptures, while learning the infinite possibilities of Kiln casting and Sand casting.    Participants work by recycling glass bottles and casting this glass into sand, create clay models and learn how to build silicone moulds for lost wax castings, etc.   No experience necessary!  Size max 18cm in any direction. Deposit of $215 required to hold seat.

Students will make silicone moulds from items they wish to cast in glass. Examples: plastic/vinyl toy/action figure, anatomical models or small branch, unusual vegetable/fruit, seed pod. Items could also be modelled from Sculpey clay and fired ahead of attending the workshop. Glass options are discussed.

Students pour multiple waxes from their silicone moulds, refine their wax models (add or subtract). Models are then weighed and various glass options are revisited. Once glass choice is determined pouring gates are added to models and then a silica based refractory mould is built around the wax models. Once moulds set up the wax is then steamed out. Meanwhile, glass is weighed, and cleaned.

Sand Casting (BYOB):  Students are asked to bring in 3-4 empty beer bottles. Bottles are cleaned of labels then broken down and melted in a crucible. Simple forms are pressed into sand and the molten glass is slowly poured into these impressions. Glass is then annealed. – further details/instruction given in class.

What’s included:

2 kg of glass

Approx. .9 kg silicon& plastics necessary for mould building (determine if you will need more through the online material calculator)

Refractory materials

Wax

Nitrile gloves

n95 Particulate respirator

Cold-working consumables

Note: These workshops are messy! Please wear/bring in clothing that can get covered in clay, plaster, water, etc.