Fusing | Beginners and Intermediate

Mark Ditzler

Survey of Kiln-Formed Glass Design
This class will focus on the exciting design possibilities of fused and kiln-formed glass. In the first week we will begin with basic glass cutting, planning and assembly of fused and slumped pieces, exploring many interesting ways of using color, line and transparency. We will then move quickly to more advanced design skills. Students will learn to use unique design elements including color bars and wafers, canes and murrini, vitreous paints and lusters, silkscreened images and dichroic glass. Some flameworking and hotshop techniques will be covered, adding to the palette of design options. Working in this manner will allow the student to quickly take their glass to a more advanced and personal level. In the second week we will begin to explore thicker glass and study basic methods of mold making. Discussions will also include kiln operation, annealing, and coldworking techniques. At the conclusion of the class, students should have the skills they need to run their own studios, producing fused glass of the highest quality. Students with no experience, as well as those with more advanced skills will benefit from this class.

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Mark Ditzler

Mark Ditzler is a Seattle glass artist specializing in decorative kiln fired glass. With degrees in Industrial Design and Fine Art, he has been working in glass for over 15 years. Mark is an instructor at several schools, including Pratt Fine Art Center, The Frye Art Museum, and The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass, in N.Y. He will be a guest instructor at the Pittsburgh Glass Center last summer. http://www.markditzler.com/