New Workshop: Precision Glass Cutting for Mosaic

For years, I've offered beginner-level workshops, usually based on a simple project like suncatchers, garden mosaic, or pendants.  But I was recently asked if I would consider teaching a more advanced class for students interested in working with stained glass.  I hand-cut most of my glass, and I manage to get very clean lines and smooth curves.  I find this useful when stacking glass on edge, where I can't have shardes poking up:

In the center, clear glass is cut into undulating shapes, then stacked on edge to create hills and valleys.

...and it comes in handy when I want to add Opus Sectile to my andamento:

Opus Sectile is when each section of the image is cut as a solid piece, rather than using small pieces clustered together.

The ability to cut smooth shapes from glass without "nipping" allows me to create very clean lines with specific shapes when I want to.

And using a mix of different andamento styles within one mosaic can have an interesting effect:

The roses in this mosaic are done in Opus Sectile, as well as the lips, eyeballs, and the grey neckline.  The face and scarf are Opus Palladianum and the hair and background are done in Opus Vermiculatum.  For more info on andamento, see this website: http://www.mosaicmakers.co.uk/mosaicstyle.html

My new workshop in Precision Glass Cutting for Mosaic is designed for intermediate to advanced mosaic artists wishing to add sheet glass to their repertoire, or to gain more mastery over their cutting ability.  I'll demonstrate ways to cut curves and narrow shapes, and will bring my ring saw for students to try.  (The ring saw is vital for cutting more deeply into the glass.

Notice how some of the pistils extend into the shape of the adjacent petals.  The ring saw was necessary for cutting into the petals.  Delicate cutting technique was needed to make the narrow, curving pistils.

However, beginners are welcome to attend, and I will be going over the basics of glass cutting as well.  Students will create a small glass-on-glass project with an Opus Sectile design that includes curves.  I will provide some templates, or design your own.  Materials are provided, and I'll have some tools on hand, but I won't have enough for everyone, so I encourage you to bring your own toyo glass cutter, running pliers and breaker-grozier pliers.  Wheeled nippers are optional.  Email me if you need to purchase tools through me, or more information about that.

The first workshop is March 8th & 9th in Manzanita, OR.  The fee is $200.  Register with The Hoffman Center: http://hoffmanblog.org/about-us/contact-us

The second workshop will be May 17th & 18th at Sequoia Gallery in Hillsboro, OR (just outside of Portland.)  Registration info: http://sequoiagallerystudios.org/contact/

I am very excited to teach a more challenging class like this, and I look forward to seeing how my students use the information.  Contact me if you have any questions.

Broken Heart Mosaic Workshop in Olympia, WA

Many years ago, I offered one of my first mosaic workshops through a little shop called Whirligig in Downtown Olympia.  The owner promoted the class for me, and she titled it "Broken Heart Mosaic Workshop" because it was right before Valentine's Day and I was setting up a small heart-themed project for students.

I think I had four students, and all had broken hearts.  They spent the day creating heart mosaics from broken shards, pouring out their stories to each other, discussing relationships and processing loss and grief.  I didn't plan it that way.  It just happened, and it was great.

This is not student work.  I made it.

I was never particularly interested in the heart symbol.  It seemed too "cute" and girly to me.  But it was around that time that I started to change my relationship with the Heart.  As a symbol of love and hope, the heart shape may be something we need more of.  Laurel True created a mosaic heart that is particularly inspiring to me: http://truemosaics.com/love-and-truth

After that, I tried to teach the Broken Heart class each year, usually coinciding with Super Bowl Sunday.  Those classes filled up, and were always fun and intimate.  I had found a great stained glass studio that hosted my classes, Hexen Glass, but they closed their public studio a few years ago.  Since then, I haven't taught much, and not locally.  But I recently discovered a new folk art school in Olympia.  I like what they are doing, and I miss the Broken Heart workshop, so I'm finally offering it again this year.

This is a student project.  I love this one.

Here is the description on my website, with a link to registration information: http://jkmosaic.com/broken-heart-mosaic-workshop/

The class will be Sunday, Feb. 9th.  The project can be a gift for someone special or a keepsake for yourself.  I'm hoping for an enthusiastic response!

Art Deco mosaic window for entryway

Last summer, we had our wraparound front porch enclosed to become a new "mud room."  This will help hold in heat, and will be a place to store boots, coats, beekeeping supplies, and dogs.  I think it is going to be a great improvement.

A friend salvaged all of the windows we used, and we found a reclaimed sidelight and door.  The door didn't work out, in the end, but I worked from September to the end of November adding mosaic to the 7-foot sidelight, and it is finally in place!

It's hard to get a good shot from the outside, especially since the exterior still needs to be painted.

Photos capture it better from the inside.

Here is a better look at the front.

The Art Zone has taken on a life of it's own!

In a recent post, I wrote about my drop-in art program created to serve homeless and at-risk teens in a rural community.  The class takes place at an alternative high school where regular classes do not take place on Fridays.  Instead, one-on-one meetings take place between teachers and students, teachers do their planning, and students catch up on their studies.

I heard that the small group of seniors that had started coming to my class were staying after school this past week to work on their projects.  I was excited to hear it, but also nervous that they were doing project with no instruction or guidance.  Some had only done one small mosaic project, ever.  No one was telling them how to hold the toyo cutter correctly, how to space and place pieces, what andamento is, or how much glue to use.  My husband left work at 7pm on Wednesday and the group was still there, with a teacher's assistant available to lock up when they were done.  And on Thursday, one teacher was planning to work until 11pm, so the kids made arrangements to stay that late!  (It turned out they were working on their college applications as well, but still...)

So, I was pleased this morning to find a group of tired, but enthusiastic, students waiting for me with their projects already out.  The mural has some remarkably large pieces cut out for the sun's rays, which I would have recommended against, but it is in cured thinset now, and it looks fine.

The student on the left made a sugar skull mosaic, but she has been filling the negative space with paper collage.

I had seven participating students today, which is about as many as I can accommodate with the amount of tools available.  They had Pandora playing at a raucous volume.  Energy was high, there was singing and dancing and a lot of hilarious banter.  The kids talked about how good they feel when they are making mosaic, how they feel calm and happy.

I give them basic instructions: how to use the tools, considerations about color and spacing, application of adhesive, etc.  From there, I let them do whatever they want.  My favorite thing about working with kids this age is that they are capable enough to use the tools safely and independently, yet they aren't restricted by ideas of what mosaic should be, or what they are "supposed" to do.  They try everything.  What if I glue glass onto glass?  What if I put clear glass over images?  Can I layer pieces of glass onto the top of my mosaic?  They think of things it took me years to discover, and they are making their mosaic for the fun of doing it.  Some of my adult students get so hung up on whether they are doing it "right" or what the outcome will be that they become paralyzed and can't glue their pieces down.  These teens just go for it.

This class started so slowly, and there were some weeks that only one person came, and one that nobody showed and I spent the day cleaning and organizing the art room.  I can't tell you how gratifying it is to see the room filled with music and laughter, and new students stopping in to see what's going on.  And they say, "I think I'll come next week.  This looks fun!" 

What a rewarding experience.  I'm so happy!