I offer Residential Courses for Artists in my Studio and Dedicated Course Space in Scotland, with interest from international students as far away as Namibia and Costa Rica. Residencies operate from a very comfortable base in a characteristic Whisky Distillery where I work. The setting is tranquil with a shared courtyard outside and rolling hills beyond.
All of the courses run from 10 - 5 either over 2 or 4 days, which in glass terms, is a blink of a eye! With this in mind, we will not embark on anything too ambitious, however I will offer up some thoughts on the kinds of designs you may wish to make.
The 2 day Introductory Course in Open Glass Casting ‘For the Love of Glass’, takes us on a journey from working with clay to producing a glass sculpture. We cover model making, refractory mold making, firing schedules, measuring glass and colour flow. We’ll also review how to evaluate firing schedules to achieve the effects you want and how subtle changes in ramp rates or soak times can produce different results.
The 4 day Intermediate Course in Open Glass Casting ‘Material World’ looks at this in more detail, specifically how to capture textures in a variety of materials, so that you can incorporate and transform these patterns, forms, relief, into your original designs. By the end of the course you will understand how to make material choices between working with Alginate, silicone, vinyl molds, plaster, clay, wax and a combination of these and which of these techniques promise to unlock your creative potential.
Places are limited to 4 students per course, so that everyone will enjoy some individual tuition and are encouraged to come with ideas for us to explore together.
Enjoy scrumptious homemade soup and bread each day, catered by Rae Jackman, who specialises in vegan recipes using fresh, local ingredients. We typically take a leisurely lunch together followed by cafetière of coffee and chocolate / biscuits.
Courses are advertised on Facebook and through my mailing list, so please be sure to sign up to my mailing list, if you don't want to miss out.