25-29 may 2024 - Pâte de Verre Magic - Emma Varga

Pâte de Verre does not describe one particular method but hundreds of them. It seems that the many technical and creative options of Pâte de Verre directly appeal to and inspire contemporary artists. 

Pâte de Verre has many faces, from the classic sculptural object to the wall object to the large installation. The recently published book 'Pâte de Verre' by Tone Orvik and Max Steward shows the diversity of forms of expression, technical variations and, in particular, content.

We are taking this new interest in Pâte de Verre as an opportunity to invite Emma Varga - one of the outstanding Pâte de Verre designers - to introduce us to her personal way of working. She is known for leaving nothing to chance and still achieving her goals quickly, efficiently and with minimal use of materials. Here is her own description of the course:I will Introduce many methods to use frits and how to combine a variety of processes use in creating my pâte de verre art works:

"Eliminating ’glass paste' from my pâte de verre methods made it faster and offered many new solutions. I will demonstrate a vast number of shortcuts and simple methods, developed in the past 14 years, which make the process quicker and easier.

We will be creating small pâte de verre elements (wafers) for variety of applications: wall panels, cast objects and installations. Recording, discussing and understanding the super sensitive firing schedules for pâte de verre objects is a very important part of this course.

The simplicity of the processes and absence of coldworking will enable participants to create several finalized projects by the end of 5 day class."