Lisa Tahir’s Casting Craze workshop on Friday – Sunday, Feb. 15-17, at First City Art Center, successfully sparked the creativity of eight students who came to learn how to sand cast glass.
Friday evening was a review of all of the safety precautions of being in FCAC’s hot shop. Soon thereafter, students learned how to sift the damp sand/clay mixture and prepare our sand boxes for some mold making. This indentation in the sand is where the bright orange, 2300 degree molten glass is poured to make your casting. Sounds simple enough, but in reality it’s a finely tuned dance which requires timing, teamwork and experience.
Over the course of the weekend Lisa had all the students feeling safe and comfortable dipping steel ladles into the furnace to get the proper amount of glass and then carefully pouring it into our sand molds. The sculptures we created were as varied as the participants. There were brain sculptures, hand plaques, collard green bowls, single word messages, flower shaped and multi-colored stepping stones and even a fish platter formed from a freshly caught flounder! The possibilities for sand casting/sculpting glass are endless.
Looking forward to getting back into the hot shop for more fun!