It always throws me when I go to a party where valuable art hangs on the walls and excellent food and wine is served on paper plates and in plastic cups. A paper plate is functional but is it elegant? Does it heighten the dining or party experience? Is it really that much more convenient? We generally go to a lot of effort to entertain and just that little bit more attention to detail makes such a difference. 

In fine dining, the bowl, the platter and the plate are the pallette upon which the medium of culinary art is presented. It is an essential part of the whole experience. I may be a snob about it but the fact is, I just love glass. Glass is such an exquisite medium to hold, to look at and to enhance whatever is placed upon it... and it's dishwasher safe. To be able to make something of such quality that can be shared so directly with guests in your home is one of the most gratifying elements of working in glass. When it is not being used, it still enhances the environment just sitting on a table, a counter or a shelf.

This March, I will be offering an exciting workshop in the creation of functional objects made of glass. We will discuss the importance of functional decor in our lives and will design objects of beauty to be made and used. We will learn how to produce these objects with the medium of glass.

As a student in this workshop, you will be provided with the fundamentals necessary to pursue fused and slumped glass, two of the most common forms of kiln-glass. In the end, you will make two fused and slumped objects of decor, one 8" plate and an optional piece from available slumping molds. The workshop will cover exercises in glass cutting, including straight, curved cuts and circles. From there, you will take your new found skills and put them to use designing, cutting and composing the parts necessary to make two fused and slumped plates. Discussions and demonstrations will cover the basics of kiln forming -from types of glass and molds for slumping to kilns and firing schedules. After completion of the class you will have the knowledge necessary to utilize the TIGA COMMUNITY ACCESS STUDIO and work on your own.