Glass Painting Course in Colombia
In February I was contacted to know if I was interested in holding a glass painting course in Colombia.
After the two stained glass classes I held in Uruguay in 2013 and 2015, I was honored by the fact that I was also followed in Colombia by stained glass enthusiasts, and also that people wanted to learn with me.
The students interested in the course came from various locations in Colombia. Organizing the course was certainly complicated but thanks to my local collaborators, we quickly managed to overcome all obstacles to create two courses with two groups of nine students. The first course was held in Rio Negro in the Antoquia region, and the second in Bogotá capital of Colombia.
My students were more or less all professional glass artists dealing with fusion glass, glass casting, glass mosaics, as well as those who were already in the field of stained glass and who wanted to improve their technique with glass painting.
The two courses were structured in different ways. In Rio Negro the course was organized in a beautiful country house, hosted by a lovely couple German and Vicky who provided us every day with fresh eggs and cheese from the Colombian countryside, and we even ended the day with beautiful evening walks, nothing was missing.
In the populous Bogota, the course was organized in the elegant Vitrart studio where they specialise in stained glass and interior design. The owner Milton with the help of Angie managed to organize everything to perfection from comfortable work stations to delicious lunches in the local restaurants.
For both courses I brought images to use as the first exercise of line painting on glass, then I let the students paint whatever they liked. Coordinating the firing with so many students was not easy. For the first course we managed to have three electric kilns available. However, for the course in Bogotà, Milton manage commission an electric kiln for fast frying, as fast as my Hoaf gas kiln.
Both courses have been very productive with so much glass painted. We worked with paint diluted with essential oils, diluted with water for traditional shading, and the last day we concentrated on enamels.
I thank German and Angie for organizing the courses, Vicky for her hospitality in Rio Negro, Milton for hosting the course in Bogotà at his studio. Lastly, special thanks to all the students for the fantastic moments we spent together during the classes. I hope to see you again soon.
If you enjoyed this post check out our Stained Glass Course in Uruguay
