Festive Glass Activities at North Lands

Join us for our drop-in Christmas Family Day on Sunday 11 December, 12.00 – 16.00. Design and make your own glass Christmas decoration. All materials are provided and activities are suitable for all ages. Cost £5 per decoration

Make festive gifts and get an introduction to glass making in our Christmas Evening Classes. Pendant Making on 14 December and Christmas Decorations on 15 December, 6.30-9.30pm. You will develop glass cutting skills, learn fusing techniques and, in the Christmas Decorations class, also experiment with frits and powders. Both classes are suitable for beginners and include all materials. They cost £30 per class, or book both for £50.

Check our website for more information and Evening Class booking details http://www.northlandsglass.com/category/events

Dates for your diary! 2012 Master Classes and International Conference

Our glass Master Classes for 2012 will be running between 29 August to 19 September, and instructors include Angela Jarman, Jacqui Poncelet, Paul Marioni and Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend.

Our International Conference ‘Give-and-Take’ will take place on Saturday 8, Sunday 9 September 2012. The conference will explore conceptual and stylistic exchanges over time, between different cultures and media.

Take a look at our blog post from the 2011 Conference and our Master Class Flickr images – every picture tells a story!

Kiln Forming & Kiln Casting Residency – open for applications

Kiln Forming & Kiln Casting Residency

Monday 16 April – Sunday 10 June 2012

Application Deadline: 2 December 2011

We are offering an eight week residency for four talented glass artists. We are looking for artists who have an interest in exploring new forms of making, or ways of working, through collaboration. The residency will be focusing primarily on kiln working (fusing, slumping, casting, painting etc.).

You will have the opportunity to create work and collaborate with artists while also learning new techniques. This opportunity will allow you to enhance your own practice while working within a peer group to gain further skills. Artists-in-residence benefit from a comprehensive range of facilities.

The residency provides eight weeks access to North Lands facilities. Access is 7 days per week, however our Technical Manager is only available Monday to Friday. Facilities include kiln room, mould room, cold working facilities, general purpose/drawing room, and all related tools and equipment. North Lands hot glass workshop is not available for access.

terms and conditions and application details are on our website

Skills Classes

We have new skills classes on offer for 2012. They’ve been designed to be suitable for all levels of ability and are aimed at artists working in glass who want to develop existing skills and learn new techniques.

Sculptural Flameworking Techiques with Carrie Fertig,
20-24 February

The Floating Glass World,
Engraving Techniques with Dominic Fondé,
5-9 March

Glass Painting Techniques with Michael Bullen,
14-18 June

You can find more information and booking details on our website

‘A Sense of Place’ exhibition of new paintings by Hazel Cashmore

Our latest exhibition of paintings by Hazel Cashmore opens tonight and runs from 10-21 October, Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm.

Hazel says of her work:

“For the last 30 years my paintings have mirrored my relationship with the Caithness landscape… In my paintings I attempt to translate a landscape’s living force into an image via the medium of paint. Ideally, I want to realise the perfect interaction between paint and image – the image becomes the paint and vice versa.

For me, a painting is a theatrical setting of an inner event inspired by a sense of place.”

International Conference 2011 – Touching the Past

Touching the Past was the theme of this year’s International Conference. The North Lands Conference is unlike most other conferences. Its aim is to bring together the best of glass, art and craft to explore expansive themes in an inspirational environment.

What you get is a multi-layered experience encompassing eloquent speakers covering an eclectic mix of topics, stimulating conversation and discussion with a wonderfully diverse range of delegates. All this set in a truly inspirational environment and landscape, with warm and friendly local people.

The Conference doesn’t focus exclusively on glass although features artists including Master Class leaders talking about their work and inspiration. The other talks are wide ranging in subject matter, this year saw topics of an art historical approach to jewellery, the local history of herring fishing and the women workers and their gansey knitting, African traditions of commemorative printed textiles, and a presentation from keynote speaker Jane Pritchard of the V&A about Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes and the challenges of creating an exhibition which brings theatrical material to life. You can see the full programme here

Added to the mix was traditional entertainment in a Conference party come Scottish ceilidh, and a tour of the impressive Sinclair Girnigoe Castle ruin.

The Conference is a remarkable and once tried, never forgotten experience in a wonderful location.

You can see more photos from the event in our Flickr set

If you were there, we’d love to see some of your photos in our Flickr group pool

Visit from Rob Gibson and Gail Ross

We were very pleased to welcome Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, and Councillor Gail Ross to North Lands during our 1st and 2nd master classes. They were shown round the current exhibition and permanent collection displays and given a tour of the Studio. They chatted to some of the participants and Masters, before seeing an impressive selection of work that had been produced in the classes.

It was our pleasure to show them around and explain about the work done at North Lands, and we look forward to their next visit.