Lisa Vogt Art Adventure Blog: Your Behind the Scenes Look at Last Week’s Advanced Glass Fusing Workshop

We had an exciting and very productive 4-day workshop in my Glass Studio last week. We jumped right in Tuesday morning and had Free Flows assembled and firing before lunch.

These pieces may look like they were thrown together randomly without giving any thought to composition, but that’s not the case. The artist actually has quite a bit of control over the way the colors mix and the direction of each pattern. These traits are based on how the artist layers the materials and how they arrange the glass pieces.

Glass laid diagonally will give the fused glass a totally different look than glass stacked in a vertical or horizontal fashion. I encourage the students to try new and different methods to expand their understanding of the relationship between how the project is built in comparison to the outcome of the fused glass blank.

We touched on color theory and the importance of picking a specific color palate and sticking with it. Following this concept results in more dramatic artwork. Plus, it shows the artist’s creative maturity, their dedication to the craft and their confidence in their execution.

The best way to elevate your glass art to the next level is to incorporate unique patterns into your projects.

Next, we made pattern components to cut up and use in more advanced pieces.

Some of these blanks are designed to be used up-side-down. Course frit, in a high contrast color, is spread in a single layer on clear glass. Dichroic extract is worked into the crevasses to give the piece sparkle. Then medium frit, in a contrasting color, is spread over the dichroic extract to seal it. After firing, the glass is turned over and cut to fit the selected pattern. The clear glass cap magnifies the frit and gives the artwork a deep pool affect. It’s a fun, easy way to add intricacy to your work.

In my experience, the dichroic extract is flashier when used in conjunction with medium to dark colors like navy, dark purple, dark green and black. If you’re going to use dichroic, you definitely want to show it off. Using these darker shades will give you the eye-popping results you’re looking for.

The other glass blanks in the kiln are made by arranging clear mosaic frit in a single layer over a glass with a strong wavy pattern. Fuser’s Reserve was used in these examples. Then fine frit is worked into the crevasses between the clear mosaic pieces to give the glass a veining look similar to marble. It’s a super simple technique that delivers exciting results. In these examples the fine frit gradually shifts from one color to a second color. The transition added a unique spin to the finished art.

Planning ahead for the projects that would be made later in the week we repeated the same color palates on several pieces. This way we were sure to have components with colors that complimented each other.

The projects fired overnight. The results were amazing.

Next, we cut strips to comb glass. The assembly is simple, but the results are spectacular. A bunch of ¼ inch glass strips are arranged on edge on a primed ceramic kiln shelf. I encourage the students to make several color repeats and then use them in combination to create a pleasing and engaging pattern that’s uniquely their own.

We include a lot of clear and a nice selection of opal glasses and transparent glasses to increase clarity and visual depth. The glass is brought up to 1600 degrees and held there for 10 minutes. Once it’s glowing the student draws a steel pick through the molten glass to create a linear pattern. It’s great fun to manipulate fluid glass in the kiln, especially when working on large scale pieces like these that have increased potential for exciting, freeform shapes.

The next project, Radiant Ribbons, is a student favorite. It’s fast and easy to build and yet gives you incredibly beautiful results. It’s the materials and shape that make this piece so appealing. We used dichroic. I could stop there but that’s no fun. We also incorporated twisted cane along with a rich color selection for a dazzling original.

After the glass is fired the piece is cut in three pieces and slumped over a wavy stainless steel mold. The three wavy pieces of glass are then staggered and glued to a clear base with a hanger suitable for wall mounting. The piece has just enough flash and size to make a memorable statement.

The shadow box is another simple project that delivers surprising and inspiring results. Students learn valuable concepts for glass casting that they can later apply to larger projects with confidence. They learn how to create visual depth by stacking design elements. They use a variety of materials to enhance light transmission and ensure the best clarity in thick pieces. Students learn how to contain thick pieces during fusing to maintain the desired thickness, size and shape of the finished art. And they create a lovely sculptural piece that has visual weight and incredible depth.

The pattern blanks were utilized in a wide variety of ways. Students design and build beautiful fused glass pieces and then cut them up, and re-design them to make even more spectacular gallery quality fine art. This is where the individual student shines. They’re encouraged to follow their own design direction to create art that reflects their personal style. The resulting pieces speak for themselves.

All this effort may seem overwhelming. Making gallery quality artwork takes planning, forethought, multiple steps, detail oriented assembly and an equally dynamic display to get noticed. But if you break it down into manageable steps, like I’ve done here, advancing your craft and skills is a realistic goal well within your reach.

Students make several large scale, multi-component pieces of art in this comprehensive workshop. They learn color theory, design concepts for engaging compositions, fabrication tips, and practical kiln operation.

Through the in-depth hands-on construction and one-on-one instruction, students gain a renewed perspective on glass fusing. They leave class with inspiration, knowledge and a new, higher level of confidence to go bigger and construct more elaborate works of art.

Let’s get together in February and take YOUR glass fusing to the next level!

Advanced Glass Fusing Workshop

February 5 – 8, 2019.

Happy fusing!
Lisa

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LIVE! Tomorrow!

There's still time to register for this exciting webinar.

Creative Slumping Webinar

November 15, 2018

Register here: https://www.glasspatterns.com/en/glass-patterns-quarterly-store/product/1240-creative-slumping-with-lisa-vogt-november-15-2018.html

Back by popular demand! Join me for my upcoming Creative Slumping Webinar. In this detailed Webinar, I’ll reshape the way you slump and drape glass. See how thinking outside the box and using readymade molds in new ways offers numerous and exciting opportunities to produce unique forms. You'll also learn how to make your own graceful, free-form shaped molds from readily available materials with no laborious measuring or messy mixes needed.

Plus, there’s more...
We’ll take it one step further, I’ll show you how to use these different approaches, in combination, to transform ordinary projects into inspiring, sculptural pieces of art!

New for 2019

Advanced Glass Fusing 4-Day, Hands-on Workshop
February 5 – 8, 2019

Join me for this intense workshop held in my private studio.
Wesley Chapel, Florida, 4-Day, Hands-on, Class size is limited.

This is the turning point experience you’ve been waiting for.

Take the next step and raise your artwork to an exciting new level of sophistication. Join me for this comprehensive advanced technique, artistic awakening and skill building workshop. You’ll love the intimate one-on-one instruction, building multiple large scale projects, the creative momentum you gain working for four consecutive days and the well-appointed classroom.