One of the great things about being part of the
Glass Art Guild of Utah is the opportunity to attend classes held by industry experts at a local venue. This weekend, the Guild was fortunate enough to capture
David Alcala for two one-day classes, and I was fortunate enough to attend one of the days.
 |
| David Alcala, demonstrating sand painting |
In the glass world David is known for his sand painting technique using glass frit, which is then fired in the kiln. The results are stunning landscape designs full of vibrant color and interest. David is also the creator of the
Flexiglass product that can be used to create intricate designs and details in fused glass. David shared his sand painting techniques with us in the class, along with several other exciting ideas. I thought I would share some of those in this post.
David opened the class with a quick introduction, and then jumped right in to the first demonstration -- the basics of "sand painting". At the beginning of class we practiced with colored sand to get the feel of working with the sand and with the different techniques of pouring the sand into the glass frame to create desired effects.
 |
| David's first demo nearly complete |
 |
"The Barbs" working intently on their practice pieces
(my piece is in the foreground) |
Once we watched the demo with sand, David showed us additional techniques using the "real-thing" (fine glass frit). Look at the vibrant colors in the piece. This will be a beautiful landscape.
 |
| Sunset demo with glass frit |
David also demonstrated one of his new techniques with Flexiglass that can be used to create interesting streamers and other elements for fused glass pieces, and well as using Flexiglass with mica powders and glass frit.
 |
Working with Flexiglass to create
glass streamers |
 |
| A Flexiglass frit sheet, ready to use |
 |
| The class looks on during a demo |
It was a fun day, packed with a lot of information and creative ideas. I can hardly wait to get into the studio and integrate some of the things I learned today in my own work. And of course, I can't wait to see the finished pieces out of the kiln!
 |
Finished pieces in the kiln, waiting
to be fired. |
 |
| Hmm.. the tricky part is getting this to the kiln! |
 |
| One of my pieces, almost ready for the kiln |
 |
| Careful with that, Pat! |
I've tried to capture some of the highlights from our great day of learning and creating. If you want to learn more about David Alcala's techniques, check out his web site for videos, DVDs, and kits, as well as his upcoming schedule of classes.
I appreciate David's coming to Utah and sharing his knowledge with us, and also our gracious host Lori who provided a comfortable place to work, a tasty lunch, and snacks throughout the day (after all, creativity burns a lot of calories!).
 |
| The class, with David Alcala |
 |
Kaleen's lovely piece offers a unique
twist on one of the techniques |
 |
| Mary, the Guild's secretary extraordinaire |
Happy fusing!
Dana
A big thank you to Uroboros for supplying the glass used in our class!
