Picnicing at Lybster harbor.
Northlands Creative glass is an internationally renowned centre of excellence in contemporary glass. Situated in Lybster, Caithness on the North East Coast of the Highlands, NLCG hosts glass artists from all over the world through their residency programme, workshops and exhibitions.
This year is the first year that Northlands master classes have been open to non-glass specialists and I was keen to make the most of this unique opportunity.
For a while, I have found myself frustrated by my lack of expertise in any one medium, whether it is video, sculpture, writing, performance or any of the other formats I choose to create my work. Whilst the course I studied at art school certainly led to a fluid movement between disciplines for which I am grateful…I do sometimes feel like a jack of all trades, master of none.
I have never felt that any material or technique was out of bounds, however, up until now, glass was one material that seemed utterly inaccessible to me due to the specialist equipment, expense and lack of open glass making facilities in Scotland. Thus, my current proximity to Northlands made the opportunity to enrol in this years hot glass master class, too good an opportunity to miss!
Richard Jolley was this year’s leader, a renowned American sculptor of glass who wowed us each morning by pulling off a series of ambitious demonstrations that impressed even the most accomplished among the group, of which there were many. Working along side so many skilled glass artists was both a baptism of fire…quite literally…and a very privileged position to be in. When you are one of only two beginners in a class and everyone around you is displaying best practice, the potential to absorb a large amount of information very quickly is vast. It took me a couple of days and a lot of support from our fantastic Technicians, Jim and Catherine until I felt more comfortable working with the glass and participating in the choreographed dance that is dictated by a material that demands speed, vision, and high levels of communication between the teams of workers all focused on one piece.
Each afternoon we were each given slots of an hour and a half to develop our own work, with or without the input of extra technical assistance. My bench partner, Patty Neimann produced some fantastic work, continuing her commitment to creating works of body adornment in mixed media. Producing complex bone structures, Patty allowed me to assist her, teaching me almost as much as working on the glass myself. Then working as my assistants, Patty and Catherine guided me through the first steps of gathering, blocking, cutting in and introducing colour. By the end of the 8 day class, I felt as if I was finally getting somewhere, being able to anticipate the next movements of my bench partner and act accordingly. \
I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and I hope it won’t be too long until my next opportunity to work with glass. Glass artists are great people!
Drawing on glass.
Richards bust in glass.
How to get an even tan.
Patty making more bones!
Richard blowing my glass globe..it's gorgeous!
Morning demo.
On the 31st of August it was my 27th birthday! we were each asked to bring in a peice of botanical matter for Richard's demonstartion that day. After creating a botanical extraveganza in glass, Richard then set about producing my enormous rhubarb leaf in glass for my birthday. It's a styalized version, which I later sand blasted and plan to replant in the rhubarb plot. Below is the process in images.
Jim ladeling out a lot of hot glass, rather him than me!
My turn...
Gathering colour on my glass.
Blocking the hot glass.
Catherine explaining how it should be done!
Trying to blow a bubble in my glass...
