Amazing Master Glass Artist Astrid Riedel is coming to Jelveh Designs studio to teach for 5 days, 3/14/18 to 3/18/18. I am so honored to be able to host Astrid and am looking forward to learning from her. I, like many of you have, been watching Astrid be more creative & amazing everyday as her love with Glass grows. What I notice most about her art glass, besides the obvious Aliveness of it, is its fearlessness. It takes strength to be this fearless in one’s chosen art form. From afar via social media I see her work, I admire her talent, I am reminded everyday that we must truly explore our medium of choice. She inspires me to be better in my love/hate relationship with glass, I know she will inspire you too. Here are a few words from Astrid herself.
I live in Pretoria, South Africa but am originally from the Netherlands. I have devoted the last 14 years solely to glass art. My background lies in Jewelry manufacturing as a goldsmith and as a hobby I loved to paint, both have suffered as glass took over my passion. I have an insatiable need to push the boundaries in glass bead art, to try new ways to add techniques into the beads.
The beads I love very much right now are the “Face it” series beads which are “painted” in the flame of the torch, the off mandrel hollow beads, in all shapes and sizes plus my latest marble beads. I incorporate shards, twisties dichroic glass, murrini and enamels etc… I love to create wearable glass art necklaces, with the least amount of non-glass materials.
Besides bead making, I love teaching and this is been a big part of my life for the last 7 years, I enjoy it to pass on my latest techniques! In return I feel so grateful to be asked to teach and to experience countries that I would never have had the opportunity to see, and the amazing friends I have made on my travels around the world.
Astrid
When I first announced Astrid Riedel’s upcoming classes at my studio on FaceBook months ago, a number of people showed interest, they asked me to put their names on a list, if you want to take one or more days of classes with Astrid please send me a message ASAP, as I will contact folks off the list, on a first come first served bases.
Class Cost will include, all glass, enamels, lunch, drinks & snacks, I have extra tools in class, please bring your own MARKED regular everyday tools, plus any tools asked for in the class tool info that will be sent to each student. Deposit of $300 is due by 2/19/18. please contact me to book your class.
Please note, you can take a one day class $300, two day of class $550, or all 5 days $1275.
3/14/18 Hip to be Square/Op Art, one day class
Level Intermediate
Description Hip 2 be square:
The art of creating the checkered board pattern in or on a bead
Encasing your designs without dragging the design
Encasing a spiral core in the bead
Fine stringer application and heat control
Adding 3D OP art illusions to your bead
Learn to encase a round bead and a lentil shaped bead so no ugly sides stick out!
3/15/18 Enamel Painting in the Flame, one day class
“’painting” in the flame of the torch with powdered enamels and fine stringers to create works of art on your beads
Description:
Theory of when and where to heat the glass when using stringers.
Pulling hair fine stringers
Learning to draw straight lines and curved lines with stringers
3/16/18 3D spiky Implosions, one day class
Level advanced
Description:
Theory on preparation of implosions
Creating the a base for the implosions
Using enamels for color
Creating implosions with dots of glass
Creating implosions with enamel powders
Blowing shards for decoration
Heat control for Fine stringer application
3/17/18 & 3/18/18 Off Mandrel Hollows 2 day class 
Level Intermediate/ advanced
Description:
Day 1
Theory on blowing glass beads off mandrel
Creating round, lentil and tapered tube shaped hollow beads off mandrel without decorations!
Day 2
Theory on expansion, example: softness/stiffness of different colors of glass
Theory on applying different decorations on a hollow bead
Creating hollow lentil shaped beads with decorations such as shards, enamels and fine stringers
Creating twisty’s and applying them to a hollow tube bead
