I'm getting ready to teach a "Working With Frits & Powders" workshop on April 28-30. The last workshop was so much fun, I thought I'd post a few images. It's amazing how many things you can do with a little scrap glass, frit and powder. Once you understand the principles behind the glass volume/heat equation, you are queen of the studio. There is so much to know about glass. To operate with any control at all, you have to embrace your inner glass geek and learn a little about the technical side. This workshop explores one really interesting aspect of fused glass work - the control of glass movement - in particular, the equation between particle size, weight, volume and heat. We explore several techniques with a variety of glass sizes from cullet to powders. Large cullet produces large, irregular holes that look eroded and echo the patterns of water puddles or lakes from the air. As you use smaller and smaller particles, the patterns change. There are some fantastic techniques to use with finer particles - you start to get more and more control, until you can sculpt the frit into curvy patterns and sea shapes. If you're interested, check out the workshop page on my site. I'd love to have you here with me in the studio! |
In between snow flurries I think to myself, "spring is almost here!" Oh, brother. Talk about optimism. But I see the first blossoms on the forsythia, so I am determined to plan for the future. Now that my studio has a lovely new window, I have a nice cozy place for workshops. I've decided to teach a few techniques this spring - April and May dates to be firmed up soon. I'll be sending out a newsletter with all the details in the next couple weeks, so be sure to sign up! Here's a little preview:
The Rob Schouten Gallery on Whidbey Island has a gift for pairing art and poetry. I was delighted to have my piece, "View from the Forest Floor" chosen to be paired with this impressive poem by David Wagoner in the gallery's latest postcard. Perfect.
The Anacortes Arts Festival was beautiful, sunny and warm. I was assigned this lovely end booth with plenty of sun to make the glass sparkle. Many thanks to all my new collectors - I appreciate your support. Here are a few peeks...
Okay! I made it through the first art festival with the new work. I took a quick shot of the booth and here they are, all the new guys. It was really helpful to talk with people about the work. Thanks, all you engineer-types, for actually being interested in all the nerdy surface tension/heat-work talk (instead of politely faking it).
Next stop Anacortes Arts Festival August 5-7. I'll be in booth #406. The show is a short drive for me, so at night I'll be sleeping in my own bed! Trust me, that's worth a lot. I'll also be opening up my studio August 27-28 as part of the Whidbey Working Artists Open Studio Tour. I'll post more about that in an upcoming blog. You're invited; it would be a lot of fun to see you! Hope you're enjoying this beautiful summer. Steph I'm getting the car packed up today, preparing for the Wedgwood Art Festival this weekend. It will be the first time I'll show the new abstract work, how fun! To tell the absolute truth, I'm a little nervous. I made new sea form and fishnet bowls for the show, influenced by my new island home. This is an unusually light year for me, show-wise. I decided to take it easy, plant a garden and double up on studio work. It's refreshing to experiment and explore new techniques (more color, looser shapes). I'm curious to see where it will lead. I'll be shifting over to landscapes in a bit, getting ready for my show at the Rob Shouten Gallery in September.
Just a quick post today - I'm packing up to drive to Hood River, Oregon tomorrow to help hang the exhibition. I'm so curious to see what the other artists' pieces are like after the intensive 30-day work schedule.
There are six of us exhibiting, shown on the header from left to right: Barbara Clark, Bill Hook, Steph Mader (me!), Rachel Harvey, Kelly Phipps, Lisa Foster. I'm in very good company. Here are the details: Art A Day Exhibition Columbia Center for the Arts Hood River, Oregon May 4-29, 2016 Opening reception May 6, 6-8pm The Columbia Gorge is a magical area to visit, one of my favorites. Ah, the pleasures of the road trip. Hope you can catch the show! Steph Oh - Here's the description of the exhibition: "This exhibition challenges artists to create one piece of art a day for an entire month. The exhibition is both a chronicle of an individual's life experiences and a study of what happens to an artist's creative and personal evolution when they agree to work on a series for 30 days in a row. The results are a daily visual journal that captures that particular moment in time." Rachel Harvey, Curator |
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Steph Mader is a full-time glass artist living on Whidbey Island in Washington State. Archives
November 2022
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