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September 14th-15th, 2013
Price: $500.00 Instructor: Suellen Fowler Skill Level: All skill levels
In this 2-day, hands-on class, students will get a general overview of flameworked
glass blown in an “off-hand” style. Using clear glass and colored rods, a
gather is built up in layers on the end pf a heavy wall glass blowpipe, then
blown and formed into a vessel, such as a bottle or goblet. The class will
learn methods of working with various colors to achieve interesting
effects, and have the opportunity to hand mix oxide formulas that Suellen Fowler has developed
over the last 44 years. Some solid sculptural work may also be demonstrated, time permitting.
 
Biography
I have been blowing and
sculpting glass for forty-four years. In the summer of 1969, at age fourteen, I
began studying flamework glass at the Glass Workshop at Pepperdine College in
Los Angeles. The program was directed by John Burton and taught by his first
apprentice, Margaret Youd. I was instantly captivated by the scintillating
qualities of light and color in this volatile medium. I rapidly acquired
technical skills and within a few months, I was assisting other students in the
class. During a two-year period beginning in late 1970, I received private
lessons at Burton’s studio in Montecito.
At the time of the Glass Workshop (1968 - 1973),
borosilicate glass had a limited and unsophisticated palette of colors. With
the advice of a chemistry student named Larry Ward, I began developing new
formulas to improve and expand the range of colors in our spectrum. A number of
my basic formulas were later converted for commercial production by Paul
Trautman, the founder of Northstar Glass, and helped to start a vibrant market
in borosilicate colors. The availability of a greatly improved range of colors
has fueled the creative evolution of the flameworking field in the modern era.
I practice a method of off-hand flameworking which is
accomplished by building layers of clear and colored glass that are worked off
the end of a glass blowpipe. I use an oxygen-propane torch to melt and fuse the
glass, then blow my gather into a bubble and create a hollow form. My
finished vessels are rich in color and intricate design, due to my vast palette
of hand mixed colored glass canes.
Today I divide my time between making and selling art
glass at craft shows, a limited amount of wholesaling, and teaching classes. I
teach twice a year at the Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass. I also teach
workshops at a number of other studios, venues and conferences. I deeply enjoy
teaching and sharing my knowledge of the off-hand flameworking techniques first
developed by John Burton. And I love sitting down at my torch every day. Using
the heat of the torch, gravity, and centrifugal force, it is tremendously
exciting and fun to make something new and colorful out of plain glass rods and
tubes.
- Suellen Fowler
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