Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient - Lost Art Originals

Dan Fenton
Receives
Joseph Barnes 2011
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
"Photo: American Glass Guild/Judy Killian"
Dan Fenton started his career in glass in
1969. He studied black and white
photography and stumbled upon glass at a
renaissance fair. Inspired by the glass, he
taught himself to make stained glass
windows. His passion ignited, he embarked
on a journey that has seen him experiment
with myriad glass techniques, invent new
ones, write several informative how-to books
(Glass Under Heat; Pâté de Verre and Kiln
Casting of Glass with Jim Kervin;
Sandblasting on Glass with Kathy Bradford)
and scores of articles. He has taught
thousands of students, both internationally
and around the United States. He offers
workshops on 15 different forms of glass art,
from slumping to fusing, casting, glass
painting, and his technical specialty, kiln
problem solving.
When Dan began in stained glass, there were
few classes available on the West Coast.
When he was 21, he and a fellow artist created an X-rated stained glass series they titled
Dirty Windows. They showed the windows at an SGAA conference. I saw some of the
windows and thought they were brilliant. Many of his pieces are in prominent
collections. Fenton's work transcends both craft and the ecclesiastical tradition of
church stained glass windows and pushes the limits of this evolving fine art form. Dan
was instrumental in developing the desire for glass to be exhibited in galleries and
purchased by serious collectors, thus stimulating the cold and hot glass markets.
Over his forty years in glass, Dan has touched thousands of students, artists, colleagues
and collectors with his deep generosity, intelligence, artistry, creativity and free spirit. It
is for these myriad reasons that the American Glass Guild recognizes Dan Fenton for the
2011 Joseph Barnes Lifetime Achievement Award. Dan embodies the same work ethic,
love of his fellow man and dedication to the craft that we have all come to love in Joe
Barnes.

Art Femenella
Druid Oak Tree, by Dan Fenton
Photo by Charles Frizzell from the book ‘New Glass’ by Otto Rigan
We are honored to sponsor a workshop taught by
Dan Fenton
ADVANCED PERCISION GLASS FUSING TECHNIQUES,
MAKING GLASS DESIGN ELEMENTS,
An intro to PATE DE VERRE will be given in this class
at the Lost Art Originals Studio
of Sherry Boyd-Yost
4125 N. Garfield Road, Spokane, WA 99224
4 Day Workshop, September 14 th –17 th 2012
10:00a.m. -6:00p.m.
Please call Lost Art Originals Studio to register:
(509) 244-2260 or email me with any questions at
sherry_yost@lostartoriginals.com
Max students, 8
Tuition: $650.00, includes, materials and tools.
Full tuition must be paid six weeks in advance
Deadline to sign up for class August, 2 2012
There is a Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Springs, Ramada, Holiday Inn,
Microtel, Stratford Suites, and other hotels and motels within a 15 minute drive
of the studio which are all close to the Spokane International Airport (GEG).
In addition, there is a scenic bed and breakfast (GAEA) within a 15-minute
walk of the studio.
ADVANCED PERCISION GLASS FUSING TECHNIQUES,
MAKING GLASS DESIGN ELEMENTS,
An intro to PATE DE VERRE will be given in this class
Here we will concentrate on making design elements that will become important
compositional focal points in finished fused glass works. We will work in two areas. One will
be with the glory hole to make murrini and latticino, and the other will be in the kiln to
make geometric patterns generated by multiple firings.

The murrini are made by
composing a bundle of glass strips
or canes in such a way that the
composition is read from the ends,
like looking at the end grain of a
block of wood. This bundle is then
fused, picked up with a punty rod,
heated further in the glory hole (a
flame chamber similar to an
ironworker’s forge), and then
pulled out into a short rod. This
proportionally reduces the size of
the end grain design in the glass.
After annealing this murrini rod, it
is cut into buttons to that the
design is visible. Now this stock
can be fused into other glass
compositions.
Latticino is done similar to murrini, however the initial composition calls for a limited
number of colored strips or canes in a matrix of mostly clear glass. The bundle is fused and
picked with a punty as with murrini but this time the bundle will be twisted as it is being
pulled into a rod. The end results are usually viewed from the side, but it can also be cut and
viewed on end. It is very tempting to keep these as they are, but they too can be fused into
other things.
Among the kiln techniques will be pattern bars. This is similar to murrini in that the design
is read from the ends, however the bundle is fully fused in the kiln and not pulled. It is then
cut with a diamond saw and fused as a design element in other compositions.
The other kiln working technique is strip fusing for geometric patterns. Here we will fuse
strips of sheet glass that are laid up on edge directly on the kiln shelf with no base. After
these are fused they are cut with a glasscutter and recomposed. Here we will look to go
three generations. This is a lengthy process because extended annealing times are necessary
for good cutability of the glass.
The techniques that we will explore here are not the end products in themselves but
important additions to the visual vocabulary in the language of fused glass.
Among the technical aspects to be covered will be annealing and the subtle techniques of
cutting thick glass with a glasscutter. All materials and the use of shop tools are included.
Dan Fenton
Workshops

FUSED GLASS DESIGN ELEMENTS WITH MULTIPLE FIRINGS
WORKSHOP OUTLINE
STRIP FUSING FOR GEOMETRIC PATTERNS:
Cutting long glass strips: speed cutting.
Cutting thick glass with a glass cutter and running pliers.
Lay-up of glass strips on edge without a base.
Estimating the balance between mass and surface tension in the firing; how wide to cut the
strips.
Composing the first generation (parallel lines of color) with regard to subsequent recompositions.
Recomposing without decomposing 2nd and 3rd generation firings.
Firing with and without a fence around it.
PATTERN BARS:
Design and composition for viewing on end.
Building a fence around it; one more use for fiberboard.
Cutting the pattern bars.
FINISHING:
Sandblasting to eliminate devitrification and make the design more crisp by removing some
of the softer glass that may have spread during the firings.
Fire polishing the sandblasted surface.
Edge rounding during the last high temperature firing. The uses of clear over glazes for
devitrification prevention and cure.
KILN FIRING PROCEDURE:
Preventing thermal shock in the heating phase.
Using the time/temperature relationship in the process phase of the firing.
Calculating that most important annealing schedule.
MURRINI:
Cutting glass strips: speed cutting.
Design and composition for murrini with strips.
Murrini using canes and stringers.
Gluing-up the bundles.
LATTICINO:
Composition and predicting the results.
Working with touches of dichroic glass.
GETTING HOT:
Kiln set-up and tack fusing the bundles.
Glory hole safety procedure, including eye protection.
Safety precautions when using the kiln as a pick-up and annealing oven.
Lighting the glory hole and how glory holes work.
Preparing the punty.
Picking up the bundle.
Heating, paddling, and marvering procedure.
Preparing for the pull.
Pulling the murrini.
Pulling and twisting the latticino.

Pulling cane.
Safe use of torches during the pull.
Discussion of annealing.
EXTENDED TECHNIQUES:
Making target murrini.
Multiple murrini: foursquare combination.
Multiple latticino., Letters and numbers, .Simple figures and portraits.
THE NEXT STEP:
Cutting the murrini.
Using the murrini and latticino in a fused glass project
An intro to PATE DE VERRE will be given in this class
AND KILN CASTING OF GLASS (4 days)
Kiln cast glass can be traced back as far as 1350 BC in Egypt during the reign of King
Tutankhamen. Since the invention of the blowpipe faded into the background, but the
techniques were never lost. There was a renewed popularity of kiln formed glass among the
Romans during 100-300 AD, such as cane and pattern bars (the precursor to Murrini), but
kiln forming slipped onto the back burner once again. Economically not feasible, but never
lost. I guess that the Roman oven can be like watching a television test pattern and waiting
for the and waiting for century the French picked up the ball that the Romans left for the
lions. They thermal shocked the glass by dumping the hot glass into water to make a glass
gravel, then by mechanically grinding and adding an organic binder made a paste. This
glass paste can be selectively placed in to the depressions of the mold and when fired it’ll
give color definition in the relief of the vessel, tile, or lighting fixture.
Pate De Verre is French for paste of glass The French artists do not let the grass grow under
the feet. They let glass glow under the heat. Some of the innovators at the turn of the 19th
into the 20th century are Emily Galle, Rene Lalique, Gabriel Argy-Rousseau, and The Daum
Family. Galle stopped production in 1910, G Argy-Rousseau went down after the Great
Depression, The Lalique Company only makes lead crystal cast vessels, however the Daum
Family, in Nancy, France is alive and well with pate de verre. Pate de verre is coming alive
again in North America, Europe, and Japan. It is a secret all over the block. It will involve
creativity and patience. Results will always happen, but the results that you hope for must
be generated.
We will be working hands-on with lost wax originals, open-face carved soft firebrick, clay
originals, and organics (veggies, no garlic). We will be doing master molds for wax
production original molds, which will include multi-part paste, latex and Gel-Flex rubber.
We will be using 90 COE glass and frit from Bullseye and Uroboros glass companies
(imported from Portland OR) because their colors are good in transparency and they don’t
strike (change color) when fired. Foundry craft and glass forming will be combined in terms
of pattern design and mold making and kiln firing procedures. We will make single use
investment molds as well as multi-use master molds (for wax) using multi-part plaster and
flexible rubber materials.
All materials and use of tools are included. Students will participate in the kiln firings. The
sponsor will set the hours and tuition, and there may be some overtime. There will be no

epeat demonstrations for those who leave early. Detailed notes will be included, but bring
a notebook and glass cutting tools.
WORKSHOP OUTLINE- 3 DIMENSIONAL FUSING MAKING THE ORIGINAL
PATE DE VERRE
Clay as a modeling material
MOLD MAKING & INVESTMENT MOLDS FIRING THE CASTINGS
How to select investment mold materials Mold curing
Mixing plaster Preventing thermal shock to the molds
Plaster combination recipes Firing procedure
Working with prepared dental investment mixes Annealing
THREE DIMENSIONAL FUSING EQUIPMENT
Glued glass constructions fused: Kilns
In common sand Pyrometers, timers, and controllers
Invested in a plaster mix Tools
SAFTY CONSIDERATIONS