May 2024 Creativity Challenge
Share Your Class Creations!
Congratulations to Sue Neel!
Have you taken an online or in person class?
We look forward to seeing what you have been creating. Share the title of your workshop, instructor and your class creations to inspire us to seek out more opportunities to learn and you will automatically be entered to win a $100 gift certificate to use at isgbEducation.org.
Artist Statement
Class: Beginning borosilicate glass sculpture aquarium theme
Teacher : Andrew Jackson Pollack
This was my first class in borosilicate glass sculpture and I learned a lot. Components are made and annealed and then assembled. Assembly is the hardest part. Joints must be melted in so that it looks like it was always one piece.You need to take the pull of gravity into account all the time and work with it. Creating a stable base has three points of contact with the table. You want to assemble and get it into the kiln for annealing as fast as possible so it doesn’t crack! I loved the class. Andrew is a great teacher. He is very helpful! He makes it look so easy! Watching him was a great inspiration. I would take a class with him again! There is so much more content than shows up in my sculpture . We made eye murrini as well.
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My item to submit for the creativity challenge is this Chain Segment.
I took a class from Bronwen Heilman.
I love how this glass looks as a chain.
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I like both flamework and furnace work and exploring the possibilities when combining both techniques, so I took a class that was lots of fun for me! This is one of four paperweights I made in Dave Graeber's class, "Paperweights with Flameworked Inclusions', which I took at Salem Community College in Carney's Point, NJ. The components were made and assembled in a torch, then were vacuum encased at the furnace and completed at the hot shop bench. Each of the weights I made in this class measure approximately 3 to 3 1/2" in diameter. The shortest measures about 3" tall, and the tallest is about 4 1/4".
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These are boro chains inspired by a Jeri Warhaftig class. I can get mesmerized by the possibilities and lose myself for hours making parts for chain necklaces and most recently earrings. Also loving how differently boro moves. Always great to have new challenges on the torch.
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I had a great time in Laura Simone's Painting on Glass Beads class (It had a fancier name, but I can't remember the official title) at Corning. She's a wonderful teacher and although my first efforts of a grumpy kitty weren't exactly what I had in my head, I now know what to do to improve for the next time I paint and how to add some painted details to my sculptural beads too. Highly recommend the teacher & class. Learned so much.
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These hair Doodads were inspired by a class I took at the SGI retreat in April…hosted by Kris Schaible. Gail Crosman Moore was the guest artist…we combined flameworked glass along with shrink art, metal enhancements with torch enameling or alcohol inks. The retreat also showed wool felting….paper clay casting and embellishment with seed beads yowza!!!! I still am creating many mixed media pieces to include in other projects..my brain is full.
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"Becoming Plum" 10 x 6 x 2 inches, Borosilicate glass, wooden frame, acrylic paint. This piece was created in January of 2024 during a four day class with Kathleen Elliot at Public Glass works in Lenexa, KS. Kathleen teaches students to use layed boro frits and powders on tubing to build complex, realistic botanical creations. I’m still fairly new to borosilicate glass, but I love the possibilities it offers for larger and more complex sculptures.
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The following photo shows beads I made during and after a most excellent class at The Corning Museum of Glass. The class was “Handpainted Imagery on Flameworked Beads” taught by Laura Simone. I was inspired to take this class as I have always loved painting and the chance to combine painting with glass was exciting!
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I made these earrings after participating in the ASGB Virtual class with Michael Mangiafico.
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Artist Statement
I had so much fun in April! I took a Sea Sculpture class with Joy Munshower, I took an enamel fish class with Deb Crowley, and Bead Painting with Laura Simone, all at Glass Craft. Then I took a week long Rainforest class in Nokomis, FL with Corina Tettinger. It was a busy beautiful immersion in glass that was challenging but so rewarding. I feel so fortunate to have all these connections that have opened up a universe and that's what ISGB is to me.
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Hi there. This workshop was with Sara Sally LaGrand. The class was Brooches and the inspiration was the energy and excitement of the learning environment. This was a big departure from my usual glasswork and I was surprised and pleased with the result.
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This was made at Corning in a class with Jeri Warhaftig in 2022. 14 inches long.
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These cabochon rings, bracelets, and earrings were made based on a series of cabochon tutorials from Corina Tettinger’s vault. I took it a step further and designed my own double mandrels for making matched pairs. I made lots of jewelry items from the 10mm cabochon tools. The 14mm cabochons I turned into rings for my contribution to the ISGB gathering swap. The findings are surgical stainless steel. They’re very addictive!
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The class was an online class during the Pandemic on Boro Chain by Jeri Warhaftig. I welcomed the chance to learn new skills in the safety of my home.
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Artist Statement
I attended a class at the Corning Museum of Glass called "Beadmaking: Expanding Your Skills" with Kristina Logan in January of 2022.
I have been inspired by Kristina’s work since I started flame working in 2016. I was lucky enough to be chosen to be in her class.
I am inspired by the process of layering opaque and transparent colors and manipulating or “ picking” the glass and dragging it to create patterns. When I made this bead I chose a color palette that is unusual for me. I had a few colors in mind, but was guided as I went along layer after layer. I call this design “starflowers”. I used Effetre and Double Helix.
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The class was “Explore the Magic of Silver Glass” with Hayley Tsang Sather. I loved her online class, and learned so much about how to work with silver glass! Her ongoing Facebook group is also inspiring and provided additional information about new colors!
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I really enjoyed learning to make simple glass chain from Boro segments in this class! I was inspired by the simplicity of the process and the stunning results.
This necklace that I created combines boro chain segments, recycled glass nugget beads, my own glass discs, rubber tubing, and a focal disc for the clasp (clasp disc donated by Bronwen).
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2006 workshop with Kimberly Affleck entitled "Organic Beads".
It was through this workshop that Kim awakened my obsession with glass chemistry. From such a seemingly immutable material we achieved alchemy! In the years since I've experimented with all sorts of glass and other material combinations to achieve what looks like the impossible. Thank you so much Kim!
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Class I took with Marcia Kmack, at the 2023 ISGB conference Vertebrae Beads. When I got home I continued to practice and practice. Marcia cheered me on the whole time giving tips and hints to continue learning and growing. She’s an amazing instructor and provided so much support and encouragement.
Tangerine Twist
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Artist Statement
These beads were inspired from an online class by Corina Tettinger called "Obsession in Black & White". I am still a fairly new lampworker and couldn't seem to get the smaller finer detail, but was so happy with these that I made a bracelet to show them off! Love the black & white contrast and the contemporary look of these pieces.
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In May, I took some classes at Sabina Verkerk’s studio in The Netherlands. The classes were taught by the wonderful Petra Pepper! I love learning new ways to work with implosions.
The classes were:
- Day 1 – Implosion Daisy
- Day 2 – Playing with Implosion Techniques
- Day 3 – Playing with Air
Attached is my photo of my class work.
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This is my clownfish and anemone inspired by Mauro’s workshop.
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I took Floor Kasper's Head Pins Made Easy class. I was looking for something different, and I really enjoyed learning something that I could do that was fun to do and quick, but could be made into something incredible.
The piece I created was inspired by looking at the movement of the pieces I had made during practice. They made me think of the grasses and seaweed you see in the ocean. So I added fish and a turtle, there was a shark too, but it broke and I have not had a chance to remake one yet.
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I took an implosion class with Bea Stortz. It was online and really changed my approach to glass. I'm used to the old "build a Maria, and melt". Bea showed us how to make two decorated disks, join them with a blow pipe, melt it all in and blow it all out...and melt in for the final piece.
My confidence really soared with this class. It was the first time I had mastered making a piece with components that have to be garaged in the kiln.
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Terry Henry’s class was fantastic and filled me with inspiration and ideas. Below is a recent design which was inspired by a new-to-me kumihimo technique. I also made about 60, 5mm, round maroon beads of the same glass as below to include in the necklace pieces which would match the colors of the floral assembly piece.
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Workshop: Sunday Morning Glass School Challenge
Instructor: Dr. Julie Denton
Title: The Silica Tetrahedron Suncatcher
Creator: Terry Henry
Assignment: The class assignment was to create a suncatcher of our choice using components that fit together to add extra complexity to the challenge.
Inspiration: I created a suncatcher that is an interpretation of a "Ring Silicate Structure". The silica tetrahedron forms the crystalline structure of the largest group of minerals on Earth. This basic form is everywhere, even in the glass we use! The framework for the silica tetrahedron repeats itself over and over and over in many different arrangements to make different minerals.
My Project: “Silica Ring Tetrahedron Suncatcher”. The single cell unit of the silica tetrahedron is repeated in this crystalline structure six times as are 6 tetrahedrons and 26 equilateral triangles. Hanging assembly is created from two equilateral triangles with hooks on their bases. The tip of each triangle has a loop. These loops are placed side-by-side with a plastic spacer between loops to prevent scarring during movement. Plastic tubing is threaded through the loopholes. Hanging wire is threaded through the tube. Fishing line swivels are added to the hanging wire allowing the suncatcher turn freely in the wind.
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Class: Spring is in the Air - Sculpting a Grape Hyacinth
Teacher: Vicki Schneider
I was unable to join in the virtual Gathering this year, but loved the mini classes that were included. Vicki's class was very easy to follow and inspired me to try a new kind of flower for my mini vases, and to create more movement and life in my leaves. I used her techniques to make the elements in miniature and on wire, to fit in mini vessels. I was really happy with the Hyacinths, even though I realized afterwards the blossoms are upside down!
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Creativity Challenges
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