Its time to sign up for Glass Class and Get Fusing! 1/28 Monday

Hello Everbody,
Welcome back to school  and the new year!
I am excited to announce I will be teaching another round of fused glass classes. There will be 3 sessions offered in the Spring. (4 classes each)

fused glass bowl Nikki Contini

 New students will learn how to safely cut glass and learn all about the ancient craft of kiln fired glass. Returning students are welcome and will build on what they have learned and will continue to gain confidence in scoring glass with the cutter. I have lots of new projects to introduce and of course there will be free choice time as well. In each session the students will also collaborate on a piece that will be auctioned at the International Festival.

fused glass wall pocket vases made by students last session

 The first session of Fused Glass Class is coming up on Monday, January 28th. 3:10- 4:40 in the art room at Coleman.
Please sign up soon as space is limited.
You can sign up for the class through the city of San Rafael. at :
https://eplay.livelifelocally.com
1st session: 1/28- 2/25
2nd session: 3/18-/15

3rd session: 5/6- 6/3

Some Class details:
Fees:
- course fee $195.00
- course fee n/r $214.00 

Description:
This class is all about fun and learning the ancient art of glass fusing! Nikki will teach the class how to safely cut glass and assemble beautiful creations which will then be fired in the kiln. Each week there will be a cool new project that will focus on different aspects of fusing glass. Students will come away with lots of amazing glass work and a firm understanding of the craft of fusing. A $20 material fee is due to the instructor on the first day of class. INSTRUCTOR: Nikki Contini has been happily fusing glass since 1994. Her glass work is whimsical and colorful. Check out - fusedglassoriginals.blogspot.com Ages: 8 Yrs. to 12 Yrs. (for younger students, please call me to discuss if your younger child is a good fit for working with glass.415 846-4460)

Spots Available: 9 

student pendant

dangle earrings made by student

To learn more about fused glass and to see more pictures of student work, please check out my previous blogs and other pages. 

After School Fusing Bonanza!

Glass Class this session has been a fun, creative whirlwind of Glass Fusing Fun.. With a slightly younger group, abstract designs and color explosion is where its at!

Fused Glass Framed Mirrors

This session, students have been busy learning the fundamentals of Fusing while creating functional and beautiful work. So far, projects have included night lights, mirrors, wall plaques, little dishes, magnets and pendants. Check it out...

As always, working with glass stringers and the flame is a big hit. 
Glass Frit  (ground up glass) is a strong second. There is a festive feel to pieces. Lots of orange and contrasting color. With two 1st grade boys at the helm, a glass enthusiastic 2nd grader and my own think out side the box 4th grader... - wild experimentation is the driving force! 
Our next project is the class auction piece. This will be a collaborative project. We have been discussing ideas as a group and the children are very excited to make something for the school. Now, we just have to agree on what to make. I will keep you posted!

With the holidays around the corner- its a great time to plan a fusing workshop!

give me a call and lets get fusing!

Class is On!! Hooray!!

Starts Today! There is still some room so come on in....

Day: Mondays:  11/5 - 12/17 

Time: 3:10-4:40-- In the art room at Coleman 

Enroll on line:

https://eplay.livelifelocally.com/Start/Start.asp

or call (415)485-3333   class size is limited to 9 students per session.     

  Some pretty fall pieces..

Today we are making night light plaques (see previous blog for example). We will also  play around with free choice projects such as magnets, sun catchers and small dishes. I want to get the kids familiar with the material and possibilities!

Its going to be fun!

For more detail about the class- please check out past blog entries. There are lots of photos and information on past entries and pages. 

Happy Fusing! 

Questions? contact me!

 Lets get Fusing! There is still plenty of time to sign up for the 2nd Session!

Pass this along to your friends and lets make this 2nd session happen!

Fused Glass CityScape

Sample project for glass class

Mondays:  11/5 - 12/17 3:10-4:40-- In the art room at Coleman 

Enroll on line:

https://eplay.livelifelocally.com/Start/Start.asp

or call (415)485-3333  Sign up soon- spaces are still available however class size is limited to 9 students per session.       

For more detail about the class- please check out past blog entries. There are lots of photos and information on past pages. 

  

Check out this cool night light.>

We will be doing a night light project in the fall class.
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Please tell others about this class who may be interested. class size is kept small but I need a minimum of 5 students to make it a go!

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fused glass dish with glass stringers

Also, since the holidays are fast approaching, this is a great class for students to make their own unique hand made gifts and holiday decorations/ornaments.

Fusing Class at Coleman Starts Monday 9/24

I'm very happy to announce that I will be teaching another Fun Glass Fusing Class series at Coleman this fall! Spread the Word!
All classes are on Mondays 3:10-4:40 - in the art room.
(there is a misprint in the after school enrichment calendar that lists class end time as 4:15, that is incorrect)
I will be teaching 2 sessions- Five classes per session.
 1st Session 9/24-10/29  2nd Session: 11/5- 12/17

Enroll on line:
https://eplay.livelifelocally.com/Start/Start.asp

or call (415)485-3333  Sign up soon- spaces are still available however class size is limited to 9 students per session.              

Good News...A student from last year came up to me At school last week, all smiles with the news that she had entered some of her glass work in the Marin County Fair over the summer and won 1st place for two of her pieces!  Yeah! She was beaming and so was I!
Some Class Details....I want to keep the class fresh and plan to introduce some new projects and focus a bit more on functional art work- night lights, clocks, vases, frames are a few ideas. Students will also have the opportunity to make unique handmade gifts just in time for the holidays. Lastly, both sessions will contribute work for a collaborative piece for the Coleman auction. !!!!  

For further class information, log on to  http://eplay.livelifelocally.com  (after school enrichment classes)
Hope everyone had a great summer.

Please contact me if you have any questions! thanks!

SPIRAL INTO YOURSELF AND BLOOM!

            

Reflecting back and Moving Forward

Some Student Testimonials from the after school class at Coleman Elementary this past spring 2012....

This was my first time teaching fused glass at Coleman Elementary. It was a wonderful experience. I've learned so much about how to teach glass. I presented a new project each class to highlight different techniques and materials of fusing glass but also had time for free choice at the end of every meeting. This format really seemed to give students the right balance between instruction and experimentation.

auction platter before firing

 Some of my favorite projects included using fiber paper with the glass to make hand print impressions and of course the group effort and creativity that went into making the glass platter for the auction.

colorful wall hangings using fiber paper and glass

I am excited to teach another class. I am thinking about new projects and materials to add to the curriculum.

Cool clocks, wind chimes, masks and wearable art are some of the new projects we may be exploring in the next series. I'm keeping it fresh so returning fusers should come back and build on what they have learned.

I will be holding a few glass workshops this summer but still figuring out dates and times. Some summer fun in the garden of glass is on the way. I promise for those of you who have been waiting patiently.  

Meanwhile...if anyone would like to host a fusing party - kids or adults- lets make it happen! Just contact me with your dates.

Now that summer is here and I have my kiddos squared away at camp and daycare- glass is back in session!

Fused Glass Mirrors!!

A wall of mirrors.... !  I  am pleased to announce that after weeks of studio time, in a creative whirl, I was able to produce over fourteen beautiful fused glass framed mirrors in various designs and shapes.  Back in March I was approached by a wonderful store in San Francisco called Kumquat Art to get together a collection of framed mirrors for the store. Kumquat sell beautiful art and home accessories-almost all from local artisans and designers. I was grateful for the opportunity and thrilled to get back into making framed mirrors- with a deadline no less!

Just as my after school class was wrapping up- this new project came my way. I love when life gives us these golden nuggets. Do what you love, do what you  love, do what you love.. I feel lucky (see above mirror- ha ha!)

In my mad rush to get all the mirrors done, I was not able to get great photos of all the mirrors but if you would like to get more of a peak, check out Kumquat on Clement Street and 3rd ave in San Francisco(inner Richmond). I also have about a dozen pretty dishes in the store as well! Yeah!

I am still deciding on dates for the next class series for the summer. If there are specific days/dates that work  best for the summer months- please contact me. I know summer days can get booked up fast between camps and vacation plans. My idea is to do a class one day a week in a series of 3 sessions so that students can get a chance to make some special projects!!