Implosions, Hollows, Enamels, and Op-Art – Astrid Riedel

Marble Bead Making

• Preparing a small glass plate as a base for the decoration, (done on a punty)
• Making Wig/Wag cane -Making layered cane
• igns with enamels and spiral imprint
• Making spiky implosion in marble bead
• Shaping marbles and inserting a small screw into bead when hot. A bail with a threaded pin will be wound into it. This makes it an interchangeable bead.
• NOTE Special tool is required for this technique.

Off Mandrel Hollows

Day 1

• Theory on blowing glass beads off the mandrel
• Creating round, lentil and tapered tube-shaped hollow beads off mandrel without decorations!

Day 2

• Theory on expansion, example: softness/stiffness of different colors of glass
• Theory on applying different decorations on a hollow bead
• Creating hollow lentil shaped beads with decorations such as shards, enamels, and fine stringers
• Creating twisty’s and applying them to a hollow tube bead

Enamel Painting in the Flame

• Theory of when and where to heat the glass when using stringers.
• Pulling hair fine stringers
• Learning to draw straight lines and curved lines with stringers

Hip to be Square/Op-Art

• The art of creating the checkered board pattern in or on a bead
• Encasing your designs without dragging the design
• Encasing a spiral core in the bead
• Fine stringer application and heat control
• Adding 3D OP art illusions to your bead
• Learn to encase a round bead and a lentil shaped bead so no ugly sides stick out!

This class includes glass packs and lunches. We will also have a hot shop dinner the first night of class and a graduation ceremony/ dinner the second to last night of class.