Linda Ethier Master Class: Pate de Verre - Particle Possibilities

REGISTER HERE

June 1-5, 2024 ◆ Saturday - Wednesday ◆ 10:00AM - 5:00PM

5 days

10 students maximum

Catered lunches included! (Let us know about any dietary considerations when you register.)

Explore the unique properties of the ancient glass casting technique of pate de verre. Using crushed glass, refractory molds and the alchemy of heat participants will learn to create sculptural objects with subtle luminosity. The pate de verre technique allows the artist to control the form, degree of detail, translucency, and color blending and placement unique to this casting process.

This hands-on class will introduce students to the tools and technical skills necessary to use pate de verre to expand their sculptural practice. Drawing on their own visual vocabulary participants will use clay to create original, 3 dimensional sculptures or vessels to be cast into glass. Projects will include both low-fire and high-fire casting techniques, making color and texture samples, building a multiple part refractory mold, packing the molds with glass colors based on the samples, firing and finishing the projects.

Each student will create two projects and a set of color samples!

We will cover:

• Design considerations for pate de verre; low and high relief.

• How glass particle size and firing temperatures affect translucency and surface texture.

• Mixing glass colors, identifying and using reactive glasses.

• Making and managing color samples.

• Various options for refractory mold materials.

• Advanced mold making techniques; poured/block molds, shell molds, multiple part molds for hollow cores.

• The mysteries of sprues, vents, reservoirs, and crucibles explained

• Techniques and tools for packing the molds.

• Binders - various binder options, when and how to use them.

• Kiln theory and setup.

• Firing schedules.

• Finishing / cold working options.

More About Linda Ethier

(from www.lindaethier.com/)

Since founding [her] studio in 1969, an innovator celebrated by critics and her fellow artists alike, Linda Ethier's 45 years as a practicing glasswork artist has garnered her private and public recognition as a true pioneer in her medium.

Featured in public spaces and private collections alike, Linda Ethier's installation work is distinctly recognizable, capturing all of the beauty and nuances of her materials in breathtaking details and aesthetic allure…

Rich in color and texture, and deeply complex in her imagery, Linda Ethier's distinct creations are both intricately detailed, as well as immediately striking.

Learn more about Linda, and see examples of her sculptural work both large and small, on her website or at The Corning Museum of Glass.