Butterfly Suncatcher Fused Glass workshop.
These colourful little rays of sunshine are sure to catch the sun.
In this Fun filled 2-hour workshop you will be expertly guided through the process of glass design, placement, layout and layering. You will learn skills such as glass cutting, breaking, nipping and bending using safe practices. Throughout the course you will be introduced to how glass behaves when heated in a kiln and you will marvel at this fascinating medium.
You will have the freedom to use your imagination to design your very own delightfully unique Suncatcher.
Using bright coloured transparent glass and embellishments like:
• glass caviar - colourful balls of glass that will test your patience as they seem to have a life of their own
• stringers - thin strings of glass that can be manipulated with heat.
• Glass frit - crushed glass, which comes in various grain size from powder to chunks
But be warned Glass fusing is addictive!
Your piece will go into the kiln overnight after the workshop and will be ready for you to collect from the studio the following week.
Meet the Facilitator:
Kaylene is a Russell Island based Hot Glass Artist who works from her home studio creating bespoke jewellery and quirky kiln formed glass artworks. Kaylene has been working with Glass for about 20 years. Born and raised in North Queensland, Kaylene attributes much of her work to her childhood adventures, the colours of Great Barrier Reef and Tropical Rainforests.
“The Colours I am most attracted to are calming blues and sea colour greens, my mermaid colours I call them. The aqua, teals and turquoise, violets, lilac and purples, with a bright splash of pink, gold and magenta to liven things up.”
Kaylene’s childhood home was always a hub of creativity with both parents skilled musicians, her siblings and herself all learned to play instruments. Art and craft was as normal as a Sunday roast, everyone was creating something, painting, crochet, macrame or models. Her Mother was a skilled seamstress, and she along with Kaylene’s Grand Mother both award winning cake decorators - a skill also passed to Kaylene who created a Cake Art business for herself in her 20’s.
Kaylene’s Grandfather was a Master Jeweller and when she was very young her Mother worked in a fine jewellery store in Townsville. Kaylene spent much of her early years playing quietly on a blanket in the jewellery workshop.
“Jewellery always intrigued me and I especially loved the quirky, and unique pieces in my mum’s jewellery box
The Jewellery I create is wearable art. I strive to design super stylish pieces of art in their own right. I want my art to make you feel proud you are wearing something as unique as yourself”
Kaylene’s schooling pathway was designed around architecture, to follow her brother into the drafting world, however her art teacher aunt encouraged her to pursue a career in graphic arts. Enrolling in a commercial art course at the Townsville College of Art, led to an apprenticeship in sign writing and screen printing. Kaylene spent the next few years working in various art fields from computer graphics, textile design, silk sarong printing, and commercial art.
A turn of luck saw a career “sea change’ working in the dive cruise industry and meeting her marine biologist husband which opened up a new world of inspiration living and working amongst coral reefs on a daily basis.
When her husband took a job in Brisbane, they moved south. Wanting a view of the ocean they purchased a house on Russell Island. The home was previously a Bed and Breakfast and working glass gallery. It is full of colourful contemporary stained glass windows. Perhaps it was subliminal, or sweet serendipity, but soon after moving in she was drawn to do a fused glass workshop which opened a world of endless possibilities to her. Hundreds of sheets of coloured glass and a few kilns later, It’s fair to say that Kaylene is now addicted to glass.
Today she shares her knowledge gained from a collection of workshops and endless imaginative experimentation of techniques. Her workshops are vibrant, full of fun and colour. You will be expertly guided through different techniques to create a unique treasure that truly is one of a kind.
“I love sharing my passion, It’s pure delight when I see the students expression when they see the assortment of glass, like a lolly shop. Their disbelief when they see the beautiful creations they made come out of the kiln and the pride they have when they say I made this!”
Studio Address - Unit 11, 7-9 Grant St Cleveland.
