Beadmaking

Jelveh Jaferian

In my class you will learn all the secrets of making glass beads from rounding your bead to sandblasting your metal included focal beads. During the first week, we will cover safety topics, soft glass properties, pulling stringers, forming round beads, how to properly clean beads and why gravity is really not our friend. I realize that each student will have a different approach to learning how to play with melted glass in the flame, so I will give individual attention according to each student's needs. Those of you who may have already taken a beginner class are also encouraged to take my class, as we cover so much information that you will for certain learn all kinds of new skills. These include, but are not limited to; encasing basics, using encased stringers, creating simple and complex canes and murrines, and using all kinds of surface decorations and inclusions such as silver foil, frit, and enamels. During the second Intermediate to Advanced week, we will continue to add to your skills and expand our understanding of working with melted glass. We will cover the basics of color theory in glass and which colors lend themselves best to which designs. I will cover the use of all of the new silvered glasses, such as Double Helix glass. I will teach you the ins and outs of using brass molds and presses. We will discover the magic of making hollow beads and bring to life our favorite creatures and motifs such as trees, fish and other animal beads, including my new favorite turtles. I will show you how to use the canes and murrines made in the first week to their maximum potential. You will learn how to encase flowers, both simple surface encasing and heavy encasing. I will share with you the secrets of my organic landscape beads, such as Night, Day, Sunset, Sunrise, Rain, Snow, Desert, and Ocean. We will cover the basics of blowing small vessels and ornaments at the torch with the help of a blow tube and off-mandrel work. At the end, we will explore the dimensions added to our glass beads through sandblasting and cold work techniques such as etching. Every student will be gifted at the end of class with one Jelveh Designs sculpture or landscape bead. There will also be a few surprises in class as well, but you have to wait and be there for them... See you in class!

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Jelveh Jaferian

Jelveh moved to the US during the Iranian revolution in 1978, and her artwork is infused with a unique blend of colors, textures and themes from both Persian and American cultures. Her art form of choice has progressed from collage work to quilting, mosaics, clay and stained glass-each of which reflected her funky yet sophisticated style and attention to detail. Finally, in early 2001, her husband introduced her to her first lampworking kit and her artistic passion truly caught flame. She started torching beads in the end of her tiny kitchen about the same time she stopped cooking meals. Now known especially for her landscape focal beads and organic designs, her commitment to constant innovation is well known, and each bead, from shape to dimpled holes, is finished to exacting standards. Now if she could only provide the same attention to detail in other areas of her life, like house keeping. From the curly wild poof of hair on top of her head to her bubbly taskmaster personality in class, she is often told by her students that "she is the most fun teacher they've had" and they come away having learned a great deal about flameworking & glass."
www.Jelvehdesigns.com

Jelveh Jaferian: The Glass Furnace itself far surpassed any glass school I have ever visited

The Glass furnace is set in a sleek, modern building with all of its well appointed studios and galleries set around a central atrium that houses a fantastic infinity pool in which new graduates of the school floated their works on glass platforms. It was quite inspirational, especially given the high quality of work produced by students, many of whom had been introduced to the glass arts only a couple of weeks before. And the hospitality of the school staff was heartwarming—they treated us to the most yummy Turkish barbecued beef sandwiches on baguettes, and we weren’t even teachers or students when we were there!