Penland Glass Classes

Classes are open to serious students of all levels unless specified in course description; beginners welcome.

Sayaka Suzuki, Harvest Day, pate de verre,

grouping: 3 x 20 x 16 in.

This class will focus on all elements of the pâte de verre method of glass casting, beginning with color samples and learning to create various shades in glass. Once you learn to create your own glass colors, the potential for personal expression is endless! We will cover open-face, press, and hollow molds. Beyond the technical and the beautiful, students will be challenged conceptually to create through innovation. All levels. Code 01GA

Adjunct faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University; Kiln Casters award from Bullseye Emerge 2012 (Seattle); exhibitions: Washington Project for the Arts (DC), Mesa Contemporary Arts Center (AZ); solo shows: Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Pensacola Museum of Art (FL).

Linda Sacra, Sea Shell Mix necklace, lampworked

glass, 11 - 35 mm. diameter

We will start with the basics of building and decorating beads, including hollow beads on a mandrel and fast and fun bubble beads on high-temperature wire. Then we will move on to sculptural pieces. We will work with frits, enamels, mixing colors, and other techniques to give you an extensive color palette. We will also cover basic stringing and wire wrapping techniques to make beads into finished jewelry. The possibilities are endless! All levels. Code 01GB

Studio artist; teaching: Glassworks Stained Glass Studio (NC); representation: Sandpiper Gallery (SC), Watson MacRae Gallery (FL), The Fat Cat, Ltd. (NC), City Art Works (NC).

1st Session also includes Conversation with Nature, a special mixed-media workshop with Kyoung Ae Cho.

Kenny Pieper, Satin Blue Goblet Study #2, blown

glass, wood, 46 x 34 x 6 in.

This class will focus on traditional and not-so-traditional techniques for making goblets, filigrana, and whatever else comes up. There will be daily demonstrations. Discussions will cover form, color, and technical issues. Intermediate/advanced level: students should have a solid base in the practice of off-hand blowing. Code 02GA

Studio artist; former Penland studio coordinator; teaching: Espace Verre (Montreal), Corning Studio (NY), Cleveland Institute of Art; exhibitions: Kuivato Gallery (AZ), Redsky Gallery (NC), Glass Symphony (OR), Habatat Gallery (FL), Green Hill Center (NC); collections: Corning Museum (NY), Asheville Museum (NC), New Orleans Museum, New Bedford Museum of Glass (MA).

Cynthia Fisher, Spawing Salmon, stained, vitreous,

and mirrored glass, unglazed porcelain, 40 x 54 in.

Contemporary mosaic artists still base their work on an understanding of Roman laying patterns. This class will cover that information along with several methods of mosaic assembly, with a focus on the indirect method. We will cover materials, tools, substrates, color, and how tile shape creates visual texture. Students will make one large or several small works. We can delve into any and all mosaic topics depending on student interest. All levels. Code 02GB

Studio artist; teaching: Snow Farm (MA), Peters Valley (NJ), Worcester Art Museum (MA); 2011 Orsoni Prize honorable mention (Venice, Italy), Best in Show award at Art of Mosaic, 2009 (MA); commissions: Christa McAuliffe Planetarium (NH), University of Maine, Laconia District Court (NH), Children’s Hospital (Boston), Maine Arts Commission, Shrewsbury Public Library (MA), St. Vincent Carmel Hospital (IN), Memorial Medical Center (MA), Rogers School (AR).

2nd Session also includes Crafting Memory, Dreaming History: Writing from Experience, a special writing workshop with Sharona Muir.

Masahiro Asaka, Surge 1, cast glass, cold worked,

17 x 17 x 21 in.

This class will introduce students to innovative glass casting techniques, including the use of clay and Styrofoam to make positives, refractory mold-making techniques, and firing and annealing schedules for both simple and complex forms. Then we will move to the cold shop where students will learn cutting, carving, and surface treatment techniques, including reductive sculpting approaches using hand-held tools and horizontal and vertical grinding machines. We will challenge traditional ideas about casting and coldwork, with innovative approaches facilitating creative expression. All levels. Code 03GA

Studio artist; teaching: Australian National University, Jam Factory (Australia); Ranamok Glass Prize (Australia/New Zealand); exhibitions: Lesley Kehoe Galleries (Australia), Canberra Glassworks (Australia), Jame Factory (Australia), Traver Gallery (WA), SOFA Chicago; collections: National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, Palm Springs Art Museum (CA).

Jeremy Lepisto, Simple Structure, kiln-formed glass,

4 x 34-1/2 x 3-1/2 in.

This class is a structured approach to the process of constructing kiln-formed projects. Along with rough sketches and small models, students will produce material samples to explore the possible ways to construct and best represent their desired intent with kilnformed glass. Fusing, tack firing, slumping and cold fabrication processes will be covered and accompanied by lectures, presentations and demonstrations. Beginning/intermediate level. Code 03GB

Studio artist; co-founder of Studio Ramp, LLC, a custom kiln-forming fabrication studio that translates the designs of artists and architects into glass; teacher of workshops in U.S. and internationally; worked in production, research, and education at Bullseye Glass (Seattle).

3rd Session also includes Sound and Light for Things, a special sound and lighting workshop with Shawn Decker.

Stephen Dee Edwards, Orange Wedge, cast glass,

steel, 12 x 36 x 4 in.

Please join me in an aqueous journey with hot glass. This class will focus on using hot glass to make objects from the sea. We will blow glass, bend glass, and poke glass until it feels and looks just right. I will teach you everything you need to have a cool time with hot glass this summer at Penland. All levels. Code 04GA

Professor emeritus from Alfred University; exhibitions: Telfair Museum (GA), National Liberty Museum (Philadelphia), Gregg Museum of Art and Design (NC); collections: Renwick Gallery (DC), Corning Museum (NY), Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art (Japan), Tittot Museum (Taiwan), Min Museums (NC), Musée des Arts Decoratifs (Switzerland), Glasmuseet Ebeltoft (Denmark).

Eunsuh Choi, Aspiration,

flameworked borosilicate

glass, 28 x 3-1/2 x 130 in.

This class will focus on building a foundation for making large-scale, flameworked glass sculpture. The class will cover structural and design analysis and introduce students to the networking technique. We will work with thin solid rods, and most of the time will be spent developing designs and working on your own projects. With a focus on concept and technical skills, we will push ideas from the sketchbook onto the torch. Intermediate level: basic flameworking skills required. Code 04GB

Studio artist; teaching: Pittsburgh Glass Center, Hongik University (Korea), Studio 34 (NY); residencies: Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pilchuck (WA); collections: Corning Museum (NY), Cafesjian Foundation (Armenia); publications: Sculpture, NICHE, 500 Rings (Lark Books).

Jason Chakravarty, Tobacconaut, blown,

sculpted, and etched glass, neon, wood

This class will focus on illuminating nontraditional neon pieces including sculpted forms created in the hot shop, commercial vessels, and found vessels. Students will gain an understanding of noble gases such as neon, argon, and krypton. Demonstrations will include effects created by different forms, gas pressure, and gas usage. Students will leave with gas-filled glass forms that can be illuminated. Intermediate level: basic hot glass skills required. We will not be covering gathering or other beginning glass techniques. Code 05GA

Studio artist; worked for four years in a traditional neon sign shop before beginning illuminate hot-shop forms in 2002; workshop teaching: Pittsburgh Glass Center, UrbanGlass (NYC), and many universities; representation: Riley Gallery (Cleveland), Pismo Contemporary Art Glass (Denver), Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery (Pittsburgh), K. Allen Gallery (WI).

Marc VandenBerg, Wildebeest Spirit Vessel, blown,

lampworked and hot sculpted glass, 18 x 6 x 6 in.

This class will focus on sculpting solid forms from soft glass, including, but not limited to, figures, animals, and insects. We will address important issues in working with soft glass, including heat control, bit size, thermal shock, creating objects through preplanned steps, and using the annealer as a garage. We will address objects that can be completed in one sitting versus annealing and working off cold “leads.” The format will be open to student suggestions and collaborations. All levels. Code 05GB

Production glassblower, shop manager, and designer at The Henry Ford Museum (MI); teaching: Michigan Glass Project, Toledo Museum; exhibitions: Kittrell Riffkind Gallery (TX), Saginaw Art Museum (MI), The Works (Philadelphia), SOFA Chicago.

Peter Ivy, Picnic Drink Set, glass,

copper, bamboo

Younobi–a sense of appreciation, order, or reason derived from interaction with a necessary object. How does it feel when it’s put to your lips? How does it clothe its contents or punctuate the table? Does it invite use? Does it reference its own making? Is it too much? Or is it just enough? This class will focus on the overlap of function and the inherent beauty of the blowing process. We will cover many shapes, from simple stemware to lids and plates, with an emphasis on getting the shapes to look clean. We will work to develop pace, rhythm, and a methodical, disciplined process. All levels, but basic hot glass skills are recommended. Code 06GA

Studio artist focused on designing and crafting tableware; teaching: Massachusetts College of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Aichi University (Japan), Pilchuck (WA), Haystack (ME), Niijima Glass School (Japan). NOTE: Instructor Peter Ivy speaks fluent Japanese and welcomes Japanese students.

Jennifer Umphress,

Conspicuous,

flameworked glass,

23 x 8 x 3 in.

This class will concentrate on the fundamentals of solid borosilicate sculpture with a focus on sealife imagery. Students will learn basic sculpting skills to build a strong foundation for their work. They will then work with these foundation elements to create complex forms from simple components. We will also discuss solutions for finishing and displaying the work. Finally, we will move beyond the technical to help students find their personal voice within the framework of their art. All levels. Code 06GB

Studio artist; teaching: Glass Corner (Netherlands), Pittsburgh Glass Center, demonstrations throughout Japan; Pilchuck (WA) residency; NICHE award, Glasscraft emerging artist award; exhibitions: Hodgell Gallery (FL), Morgan Gallery (PA), Vetri Gallery (WA), Kobe Lampwork Museum (Japan), Morgan Contemporary Glass (Pittsburgh), Pilchuck glass auctions (Seattle), Kitrell/Riffkind Art Glass (Dallas).

Jeff Mack, Dinosaurs, glass

This class will focus on building skills at the furnace. It is for students who wish to gain a foundation in traditional vessel-forming technique, nurturing their craft practice with an eye toward enhancing the sophistication and complexity or refining the simplicity of their designs and concepts for glass. Techniques will include basic and complex vessel forming, bit application, goblet making, and selective color application including cane work. Intermediate level: basic hot glass skills required. Code 07GA

Head of the glass studio at Toledo Museum of Art; teaching: College for Creative Studies (Detroit), Michigan Hot Glass Workshop (Detroit); Ox-Bow (MI); collections: Corning Museum (NY), Detroit Institute of the Arts, Toledo Museum, Henry Ford Museum (MI).

Joe Peters, Octopus Coral Reef,

flameworked glass, 13 x 24 in.

Bring your imagination to life through flameworked glass. We will make human forms, animals, plants, and aquatic life. Using borosilicate glass, we will explore sculptural techniques, the use of color, and both solid and hollow forms. Students will begin with small-scale projects and then progress to assembling larger sculptures. If you choose to bring a design with you, I’ll guide you through the processes needed to get a finished product.

Studio artist; teaching: Snow Farm (MA); 2011 and 2012 NICHE awards; representation: Corning Museum Gallery (NY), Monterey Bay Aquarium (CA), Pismo Gallery (CO), Hodgell Gallery (FL), Dane Gallery (MA).

7th Session also includes Business Time, a special business practice workshop with Phil Sanders.