Patty Gray's Architectural Glass Class

[Irene]

For those of you who keep sending me emails and asking me about Patty Gray’s Architectural Glass class at Becky Bergsma’s Studio B, I’m finally getting a minute to let you know how it went. In a word, it was TERRIFIC! Patty is going to post the pix on her web site when she gets a minute.

Most of you know how Patty’s classes are: packed full of information and projects. There wasn’t a minute that went by where anyone was standing around waiting for something to do. We started on our sink ‘blanks’ first thing so we could get those into the kiln for fusing that afternoon. During this process, we learned/reviewed use of the tools and machines we were going to use – wet belts for polishing and the various grit belts, ring saws, band saws, lap wheels, tile saws, hand held grinders/polishers, circle cutters, wipeout tools, sifters, drill presses, and things I still don’t know the name of because there’s no more room left in this brain to hold it. I think Patty brought just about every tool she owned!! ; ) And, it was terrific to finally learn how to completely polish a piece of glass right down to a sheen. This is something I’ve always wanted to learn, and I did enough of it during my coldworking that I’ve got it down.

Everything in Patty’s class is a celebration. She gathered all of us around the kilns when it was time to open them so we could ooh and aah over the fused blanks. This is always a great moment, wondering, as we all do, what it’s turned out to be. Everyone’s blank came out absolutely different, and each and every one of them was a beauty. We all cheered and congratulated each other for doing so well so far.

Back to studio for the coldworking, then into the cleaned and sprayed molds for slumping. And back to more wonderful experiments and small projects. We did pattern bars, learned to make Vitragraph stringers (what fun!), used the glory hole and made jelly rolls, made frit pictures, more experiments, round pattern bars/cylinders, triangular pattern bars, learned about copper oxide, gold pens, wafer cookies, metal foils, leaf, wire, confetti, and a ton more. And finally it was time to open the kiln and remove one of the slumped pieces. An overwhelming moment, for sure, seeing all our hard work come to fruition.

Becky’s Studio B is a great place for a class. It’s out in the country and she has lots of room and work space with two fairly large buildings. And that’s besides her house! There were ten students and three assistants, and no one felt crowded. Becky has several kilns and all the machinery one would ever need. A student can really be comfy there – lots of light, a wood stove to keep us warm, lots of Becky’s work to ooh and aah over, too. Anyone who’s thinking of having a class should talk to Becky. It’s without a doubt one of the best facilities I’ve ever had a class in.

Patty agreed to do the class again in the near future. It’s definitely work taking: fun, educational, and I have an absolutely beautiful piece of work as well as a new skill.

Thanks, Patty, and all the able assistants who made the class such fun!

[Linda Reed]

Hey Irene, but why don't you tell them how cool it REALLY was??

Seriously, Patty is a wonderul, enthusiastic, knowledgable, caring and sharing teacher, Sandra Toomey who TA'ed for Patty is one of the most organized, low key, competent, efficient mind readers I have ever come across, Becky is more than fantastic, and her studio is to die for. The Ohh-La-La kiln is 4' x 9'... You could have a party inside that kiln... You could have a party because of that kiln...

The three of them did everything possible to make our class time productive and educational - including cooking and serving lunch on site and providing snacks, drinks and after class libations so we didn't have to think about anything but creativity. And then Patty provided PILES of glass, paints, powders, inclusions... so that whatever your little heart could think of, there it was. And the tools to finish it too.

Ahhh.