11/02/2008 by admin.

hi guys, i am sooooo blown away by everything we have seen and discussed it is going to take a while to get it all sorted out and down in something like coherent form!.. what we have found is an absolutely brilliant resource for all things venetian and muranese… check it out - especially the venice card and the season ticket for the boat busses - which can save a fortune over a few days and even more over a few weeks..

and on too the pics - i am trying to split the post - so here’s hoping it works!!

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05/02/2008 by admin.

Excellent news today, after a lot of emails and calls i can confirm that Alessia Fatone has graciously agreed to a rate of only Eu105 per day for her classes, entirely due to the fact that she is effectively a local and as such her overheads are significantly lower than our out of country visitors!..

What this means is that we now have a full schedule from 5 well known and internationally experienced and featured teachers available in one place over the period of three gloriously busy weeks!!.. where else could you spend a 10 day period and have 5 seperate and uniquely different classes?.. this is going to be SUCH a ball… Griet and i will be down in murano this weekend doing a final check of the studio space and speaking to the apartment owners to come to an agreement over housing for us all.. we will also be meeting with the team at the Vetrofond factory, and there are some very VERY excitng ideas being thrown around which may make this the most exciting trip we have EVER planned!…

Thanks to the phenomenal response recently we are starting to close out some of the classes and are now running a waiting list for some days.. this waiting list is strictly first come first served - and i will not accept any payments or deposits from people on this list unless i can confirm a place for them!..  if the demand becomes to great i may have to revise the length of time we are down there - or formalise some late night owl sessions to ensure our visitors all get every opportunity to meet with their preffered teachers, and see the magic on Murano!..

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01/02/2008 by admin.

it had to happen i guess!!

SOLD OUT - Sarah H, Silver class

LOL congratulations to Martina for nabbing the last place on the class of the 5th!.. the others are filling up quickly now as word spreads around the world..

please let me know if there are any forums you think i should update our information on, at the moment we are listed on everyones websites, LE, frit happens in the uk and GBUK in the uk.. i know there was a thread posted in france, and in germany - so we are getting the word out there..

We will be in Murano next week to take final pictures, measurements and sort out our links with the local accommodation.. Mr Moretti is also going to look at doing some special glass for us - which is going to be really COOL!.. i have been thinking about videoing the whole three weeks - and editing a DVD for participants?.. what does everyone think?  i would also like to do some t-shirts and stuff like that, something like “my mom went to murano for a fabulous glass glass and all i got was this lousy t-shirt” kind thing.. i am also soooooo tempted to do a “glass junkie” range!…

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28/01/2008 by admin.

final class dates, and names etc are now available… classes are filling up quickly - and we will be down in murano next week checking out the studio space and taking more pics..

there is a bit more news, due to the incredible demand it now looks like we will have alessia fatone teaching the week before dora, sarah and pati are here - along with classes by diana east!.. this is all breaking news - so watch the blog for updates.. this whole thing is just getting bigger, and BIGGER!!!!  the only question is how much fun can the flame workers take!!!

I am going to save the current class list as a pdf and link to it here - just give me a second to figure out how the heck to do that!!!

CHECK THEM OUT!!!!

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22/01/2008 by admin.

A brand new batch of Fabulous Vetro clear!!!… Coming SOON!!!

Vetro glass Master shaping - you’ll see this on our factory tour!

Alladins Cave, next door to our studio on Murano!!

Outside the studio door….

View from one of the windows…

and the other

Just ANOTHER typical “street scene”… seen one, seen them all - BORING!!!!

one of the great characters in Murano…

and another, having just caught lunch

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21/01/2008 by admin.

oooooooooo……

new class -HERE

LOL - at least Sarah is getting us sorted out!… now all we gotta do is find out where to slot this one in?…. and how about some mini “late night owl” classes, for those who march to a different clock?..

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14/01/2008 by admin.

right!!!!

prices - Eu225 per day, all materials included and all the beads you can make! ;-)…..

classes….

22nd/23rd March - Dora Schubert, two day course with complex twisties, latichino’s and signature cane and the making of a rattle bead

24th/25th March - Dora Schubert, two day course concentrating on stringer and dots and colour reactions - for those with non-shaky hands!

26-30th March - Pati Walton, 2 x 2 day courses based around aquarium and flower beads and intermediate and advanced techniques for encasing etc.

31st March - Sarah Hornik, Freestyle Focals and futher funky fun! See Sarah create her pieces, and learn the techniques to apply to your own work!

1st April -  Sarah Hornik Silver Secrets, or how to be a precious metals wizzzard and impress your mates!Stunning tips and tricks to pop your eyes out!

2nd-4th April - Pati Walton “Masterclass”, 3 days of Pati’s magic - including garden and aqaurium beads, signature can and simple/complex murrini and damn good fun!!

5th/6th April - Sarah Hornik, Colour magic and combination’s, along with more freestyle “glass jam” sessions where  the studio will come to life and everyone is encouraged to meet and work with Sarah and see some of her new work and develop their own pieces!.. The ultimate studio session with like minded artists pushing each other to do the very nicest work!.. And naturally, lots of fun, laughter and great food and company before we head on home to all points of the compass!..

The final closing party promises to be epic, and I suspect friends made here will be friends for ever…

Naturally the above does not include the “Cast Beads” classes that Di East will be running in a smaller part of the studio, or the late night glass jamin’ sessions where i expect to see the local artist come along to show us how it is really done!.. there are plenty of rumours doing the rounds as to who will be in Murano, but I KNOW the Big Kahuna (Mike Frantz) is going to be there - and his friends and guests are sure to pop in!.. there will be so many opportunities to hook up with folks from allover, the social side of this whole thing may be the most important of all!!

I will be taking along and setting up webcams to give us a shot at streaming clips of courses and parties, and will be updating the blogs and the websites as the fun goes down.. we need to start spreading the word on this thing now, so anyone who thinks they may know someone else who would be interested please point them on over here and lets “get this party started”!!!

whoo hoo!!!! roll on spring!! enough of this grim wet cold miserable weather - come on down to Venice in the spring and have some fun!

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08/01/2008 by admin.

RIGHT!!!!

time to get organised!.. the classes/dates schedule is coming along nicely and i will be posting it up shortly.. i will also open a holding account to start posting deposits so we can confirm class places and get a handle on the numbers for each class..

the studio has now been taken over officially and preparation work is underway to paint and clean the place, get the studio workspace and piping etc installed and all the myriad other things we have to do to prepare for the event… griet and i will shoot down soon for a visit to take more pics, check the arrangements and confirm the accommodation links.. we are thinking of setting up a seperate thread on here to allow people who book larger apartments than they need to share rooms if they would like to, and for those seeking shared space or apartments to request info.. i know mike frantz is in town for some part of this course so we’ll hook up with him and his gang and just a great time!!

i have been asked by di east if she could organise “cast beads” courses and we are going to find some space for that - she has promised me some pics of the work she is doing right now - but it sounds fun, it sounds different and it sounds like it will be a blast to do!.. i’m all for having some “freestyle” session in the studio space in the evenings after the days courses are done - and in fact i am hoping a number of italian and other artists will drop in and use the space (almost a literal form of “hot desking”)!!!

one other little tit bit of information is that i hear corina may be in venice too - if it happens we would be absolutely delighted as she is the reason we have fallen so hard and so far for glass in the first place

right, i’m off to do the class list - and i’ll post em up as soon as i am done!

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17/12/2007 by admin.

i have had some info back from Dora, Pati and Sarah as to what they would like to teach - so i am listing the info here and please let me have some feedback!.. i know, for example, that Sarah has a cunning new scheme for “gravity and glitter” - or something like that anyway! this will make its world début in murano - so be there or be square!!!

the info from Dora is as follows

1. Stringer & Dot Application

2. Complex Twisties (includes latticino and wigwags) & Simple Murrinis (including initials)

3. Rattle bead - ie bead on a bead (this involves a 2-day procedure, ie the participants must partake a 2-day workshop) & flower beads - this can be incorporated together with stringer & dot application workshop or complex twisties workshop

4. Working with Metals (silver leaf/foil + copper leaf)

the links to Sarah’s course is here….

and Pati has already confirmed she would like to run two 2-day sessions back to back.. this will be ideal for those of you who would like to hook up two or three classes as the break in between will give y’all some time to see the city and do the factory tours we will be setting up!!

We are also already having some queries about accommodation and there a some visitors who would like to share an apartment on Murano, to keep costs down and just to have fun hinging out with like minded artists! We will try to hook people up wherever possible!

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16/12/2007 by admin.

what about

22,23,24,25 - Dora

26,27,28,29 - Pati (2 separate 2 day courses)

30,31,1 - Sarah

2,3,4 - Pati

5,6 - Sarah

….

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