June 2024 Newsletter
Magnets, New Classes, Linda Rossiter, Art in the Shop & Lowry Construction
Art in the Shop: Blake Residency
This piece is one of the many duplicate tiles ideated and created by the young artists at Blake School for their Artist Residency. Through the guidance of our instructors and the educators on campus, the 1st and 3rd grade classes created this piece based on their lessons. Students learned about the local birds in social studies. They each created a blind drawing based on photos of local birds, including the blue bird in the final piece. The classes learned about symmetry in math and developed the mirrored image to create the final patterned tile sequence. The artists learned how to develop concept and were influenced by the folktale narrative tiles on campus. The final image symbolizes how nature cares for them as the Blue Jay watch over their school from the treetops. 14 total tiles were assembled by the students to create this site-specific installation.
"Blake School Blue Jay"
The Blake School
2010
21″ x 14″
Bullseye sheet glass and frit.
Artist in the World: Linda Rossiter
Linda Rossiter is a Hard Edge glass artist, living and working in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, UK. From the get-go she designed geometrically, as this seemed the obvious way to bring out the sheer thrill of the light, reflections and vivid colours that gives glass artwork its passion and appeal. This style has since been labelled the Hard Edge Glass Art style, of which Rossiter is proud to be a pioneer and innovator.
"Gaze"
Linda Rossiter
Large round fused glass art sculpture
47 cm x 6 mm
"Biscay Diptych"
Linda Rossiter
Fused glass wall art
485mm x 285 mm x 6mm
“Chequer”
Linda Rossiter
Fused glass bowl
38cm x 8cm
"Biscay Diptych" was inspired by the architecture in Biarritz, France, giving the feeling of water and geometric buildings in the sunshine. The look of the pool is also influenced by Hockney's depiction of swimming pool water.
In 2021 Rossiter set up a professional-level fused glass workshop and adjoining design studio to totally commit to the Hard Edge style with its extraordinary bright coloured, strong-angled geometric designs.
Lowry Ave Reconstruction
Hennepin County, in collaboration with the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Metro Transit, and the six Lowry Avenue Northeast corridor neighborhoods, plans to improve Lowry Avenue (County Road 153) between Marshall Street (County Road 23) and Johnson Street in Northeast Minneapolis. Reconstruction is anticipated throughout the summer.
Explore Bullseye Experience in Portland - October 21st-25th
Cost: $3,823
Explore the inner workings of Bullseye Glass Co in Portland, Oregon, while expanding your glass fusing skills in this unique experience including five days of hands-on projects with Bullseye instructors, plus lots of fun behind the scenes extras.
- Five days of hands-on projects in Bullseye Research & Education Department
- Tour of the Bullseye Factory and Bullseye Studio architectural fabrication department
- Tour of local glass artwork installations or area gardens
- Opportunity to hand-select glass from the Bull Pen
- Six nights’ accommodation at the Inn at Northrup Station + Breakfast
- Five lunches and one group dinner out
Upcoming Classes at Potekglass
Try-iT! Basics from Boron
Saturday 10am - 1pm, June 15th
Cost: $95 | Member Price: $69
Discover the sculptural potential of scientific Borosilicate, named for the element boron, which is added as a flux to create an American hard glass! Students will explore torchwork basics and each skill taught will culminate in a project after hands-on practice. Throughout this 3 hour class we will gather molten glass to create a small paperweight, smash and twirl an icicle ornament, and experiment with glassblowing to create a small figure.
No experience or supplies necessary. Class cost covers glass and student tool kit rental for the session.
Try-iT! Kiln Class: Fusing and Slumping
Thursday 5pm - 8pm, June 27th
Cost: $95 | Member Price: $69
Simple to start endless in its potential; join us for a 3 hour session of kiln forming glass through fusing and slumping. Compose a mosaic of color and form in this introduction to fusing glass in a kiln. Students will learn to cut patterns out of sheet glass, make frit, and work with a variety of glass formats by combining them in the kiln to produce a 5" x 5" glass tile that will then slump into a catch-all dish.
No experience or supplies necessary. Class cost covers glass and student tool kit rental for the session.
Try-iT! Italian Soft Glass Beadmaking
Saturday 10am - 1pm, June 29th
Cost: $95 | Member Price: $69
Discover the ease of molding and shaping colorful Italian soft glass when it’s hot! Students will learn to gather molten glass and apply it on a mandrel to make beads on the torch. We will then explore surface decoration techniques to enhance beads such as, dot stacking and stringer application. Expect to go home with anywhere between 6 and 12 beads depending on your work style.
No experience or supplies necessary. Class cost covers glass and student tool kit rental for the session.
Mastering the Art of Glass Cutting
Saturday 10am - 4pm, June 29th
Cost: $115 | Member Price: $103.50
This is a perfect class for the beginner as well as the more advanced glass crafter who may have already taken classes in stained glass, glass fusing or mosaics but would like to develop better glass cutting skills. These skills can save the crafter a lot of money and frustration.
This all day class will open with an overview of all the different types of hand tools available so the student understands what tools are best for their glass work. The student will be shown the best tools and techniques to cut the four most difficult shape patterns in glass.
Students are required to have taken a Beginning Stained Glass Class prior to this class or have previous cutting and soldering experience.
Glass Menagerie Try-iT! Tortoise
Thursday 5pm - 8pm, June 27th
Cost: $95| Member Price: $69
Glass Menagerie is a series of beginner classes as an introduction to sculpture on the torch. Using Borosilicate color and clear rod, students will learn the fundamentals of creating shapes into small animal sculptures.
Students in the tortoise class will learn the difference between seals and punties, how to tune a gather, how to use mashers, the importance of heating out tool marks, and how to work with and strike boro colors!
No experience or supplies necessary. Class cost covers glass and student tool kit rental for the session.
Sheet of the Week Playlist
"I've Got A Secret (Didn't We Shake Sugaree)"
Mud Boy & The Neutrons
WI243LL
Blue, Green
"That's Entertainment" The Jam
Sound Affects
AG209
Orange, Yellow Transparent
"Party Time" Lee Scratch Perry
The Secret Laboratory
Y 1634SP
Ice White, Green, Blue, Purple
"Est-Ce Ainsi Que Les Homm"
Cecil Mclorin Slavant
OGT 4115S
Smokey Amber
