BRENDON SOLE
Brendon Sole is a talented glass blower and sculptor who has over 20 years of experience working with glass. Brendon started his glass journey in Whanganu, He has worked as the studio manager and teacher at the old Chronical Glass Studio. He is currently working as the head gaffer in Whangarei for Keith Grinter. One of Brendon’s favorite things about glass is its immediacy of creation and almost limitless design potential. He is inspired by the patterns and motifs found in natural world here in Aotearoa.
Brendon is a skilled teacher who is able to really explain concepts to students. He also inspires and works with them to create their own designs in glass.
He will be teaching a Create Your Own Design class here at Amokura Glass in the hot shop. View the class here.
CARMEN SIMMONDS
Carmen Simmonds is a well-known glass caster here in Aotearoa who has over 20 years of experience. She is a professional artist, teacher, and mentor who specialises in lost wax casting.
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2002, Carmen’s art practice has evolved from explorations of dress and textile to express women’s individuality, into rediscovering and emphasising the handcrafts associated with historical garment making processes. She has consistently crossed mediums in order to create her glass sculptures, predominantly with cast bronze, aluminium, pewter, natural fibres and soft materials.
Whilst she continues to create her signature dresses and figurative production works, Carmen’s current sculptures are narratives that combine evocative glass techniques with mixed media, as a means of complimenting and enriching the form.
In 2022, Carmen founded Re-storyz (an online DIY and in-person workshop company). Created in reaction to environmental concerns and the Covid-19 Pandemic. Re-storyz enables artists to reach out to students, through online and real-time workshops, mentoring and glass making support where they are connected to a professional working studio. Considering the environment is a very important aspect of Re-storyz and sustainable practices are built into workshops where possible.
Carmen is coming to Amokura Glass to teach glass casting using one of her Re-Storyz Sculpt Boxes. Register for the class here.
CHASE CINNAMON
Chase has over 12 years of experience working borosilicate glass on a flameworking torch. With an excitement and passion for glass that immediately grabbed him since the first time on the torch the journey has been one of much challenge and triumph. Primarily self-taught with a few short classes sprinkled in for good measure, Chase continues to learn and explore the medium of borosilicate. Having turned his hobby and passion into a full-time career at one stage in the journey Chase knows all too well the focus and discipline it takes to make it as an artist in our ever-expanding world. Taking inspiration from the industrial and natural realms chase dapples in many different facets of borosilicate techniques from sculptural work to hollow bodies, fuming, patterns and millefiori the possibilities are endless. An avid outdoorsman and adventurer when not in the glass studio Chase works as an outdoor adventure guide.
Currently, Chase teaches pendant and marble classes at Amokura Glass. Check out his classes here.
KATIE BROWN
Katie has over 20 years of experience blowing glass and teaching students. She established Chronical Glass Studio (now New Zealand Glassworks) and currently runs the gallery Brown & co. in Whanganui which supports and sells the work of New Zealand glass artists.
Katie is known for her custom lighting and for beautifully designed cane work vases. Her passion for the material is combined with a keen sense for design, proportions and functionality, creating homeware, sculptural objects and one-off lighting commissions that are also masterpieces.
In her class, she will be sharing her joy of glass working and teaching students how to work together in groups to achieve what they want to make. Sign up for her class here.
LAUREN HUNT
Lauren Hunt is an artist and educator. She began her focus in glass at Virginia Commonwealth University where she received her BFA. After graduating, she moved to Corning, NY and began a 7 year career working for the Corning Museum of Glass Hot Glass Show and their Blow Glass At Sea Program. Hunt’s glass reflects the inspiration from the years of travel she experienced while performing on board Celebrity Cruise Ships. Her work, now, focuses on color and form as she strives to create a balanced, well-crafted object.
Hunt has participated and instructed at The Corning Museum of Glass, Penland School of Craft, and The Lost Pines Art Center.
Currently she is a glass fabricator in Auckland, New Zealand. She is an instructor, studio assistant, and produces her own work for galleries all around the United States and Europe
She will be teaching a series of glass blowing and boroscilicate flameworking classes.
Sign up for her colour application for glass blowing class here.
View her sculpting boroscilicate class here.
LINDSAY BUTLER
GUEST ARTIST FROM tAURANGA
Lindsay works in a variety of media including pottery, glass and yarn. In her glass practice, she concentrated on fused glass, using sheets and powders to create colourful pieces. She has taken classes from Master glass fusers all around the world and likes to experiment in different techniques.
Lindsay will be teaching beginning fusing classes where students will layer sheets of glass up then melt them together to create a tray or suncatcher.