After more than three years of only teaching mosaic virtually, I have agreed to teach at the Glass Craft & Bead Expo in Las Vegas this spring. For years, I’ve heard great things about this event, but I usually attended the Mosaic Arts International (SAMA) conference, and I couldn’t manage both in one season. This year, SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists) is teaming up with SGAA (Stained Glass Association of America) for a joint conference in September, so I am going to take a leap and finally experience the Glass Craft & Bead Expo.
I will be teaching four consecutive classes, designed so that students can mix and match and learn from other instructors, or take all four for a comprehensive introduction to stained glass mosaic that walks you from basic glass cutting to more advanced techniques, with a focused approach. The first class is introduction to stained glass, where we’ll go over the tools, hand positioning, level of pressure, and have a lot of practice scoring glass while creating a compass-themed mosaic, like the one above, but opaque.
For the second day, I’ll teach Pattern and Flow in Stained Glass Mosaic. In this class, students will be introduced to the concept of using ancient Opus styles, but tweaked and combined with stained glass design, to gain control over the direction and energy conveyed in their work, as well as trying some fun patterns that can be used as design elements or backgrounds. There won’t be a completed project for this class, but students will use sketching and have multiple small substrates to practice keystoning, radiating, and other patterning that will result in more effective mosaic design.
On day three, I’ll teach Next Level, Stained Glass Cutting by Hand. In this class, we’ll build on basic skills and get into more advanced scoring like alternating curves, crescents, circles, etc. We’ll create an 8″ x 8″ mosaic using difficult shapes.
Finally, on the 4th day, I’ll teach Glass on Glass Mosaic. Students will learn my technique for applying translucent glass to a clear glass base such that there are few bubbles between the panes and no grout bleed. Students will complete an 8″ x 8″ GOG mosaic during class and will be provided instructions for grouting at home, and I will demonstrate grouting in class on a prepared project. (Projects will not be ready to grout same day.)
Meanwhile, the Expo will feature lectures and demos and a vendor marketplace. I am very much looking forward to seeing all of the other types of glass art being practiced. I’ve played with some glass fusing and I’m really interested in learning torchwork to create some unique, dimensional pieces for my mosaic art, so this is going to be a really fun experience.
To read more about my classes at the Expo and to enroll, here’s the link: https://glasscraftexpo.com/c?s=Jennifer+Kuhns
While you’re there, check out classes by John Sollinger (Solly), a fellow Pacific NW mosaic artist who will also be teaching. Solly teaches a completely different technique where pieces are nipped and set in a very organic, representational way that results in a nature scene with a lot of texture and visual interest. https://www.johnsollinger.com/
