Artist Course - Joshua Kerley - Pâte de Verre with Glass Foam Inclusions

This course will combine two techniques that feature extensively within Joshua’s own glass making practice – pâte de verre and foam glass. The course will begin by teaching you how to produce glass foam shapes which can be crushed and coldworked to reveal the internal aerated structure. These glass foam pieces will be used to create inclusions and appendages that will be fused to pâte de verre vessels during the firing process. The combination of the granular and sugar-like qualities of pâte de verre with bubbly glass foam afford you with the opportunity to explore textural contrasts and the abstraction of the traditional vessel form.

This artists’ course complements two of Joshua’s Glass School Masterclasses, providing you with the opportunity to extend your technical knowledge and experiment further with the pâte de verre and glass foam techniques. 

You can view more of Josh's work on his website here: https://www.joshuakerley.com/recent-work

Skill Level:

• Mould making experience is preferable but not essential.

Artist Course Summary: 

• You will learn how to make glass foam shapes without moulds, developing an understanding of how and why we are able to make the glass froth and foam. Factors that promote or inhibit the foaming of the glass will be addressed, including; glass grain size, opacity, colour and temperature.
• Basic cold working and crushing of glass foam to make inclusions and appendages for pâte de verre vessels
• Selecting models and found objects suitable for pâte de verre vessel making
• Adding glass foam inclusions to models ready for mould making
• Layered refractory mould making using Joshua’s own plaster-silica recipe
• Mixing and applying glass paste to moulds
• Firing schedules for glass foam and pâte de verre

Artist Course Outcome:

• A variety of glass foam samples
• Small to medium finished pâte de verre vessel with glass foam inclusions