The Glass Studio Ireland Blog

As part of the Leonardo Sustainable Crafts Network Programme we are flying out to London, Helsinki and then on to Vassa. (Check out your maps!)

Please follow our progress with this link  http://sustainablecraftnetworks.ning.com/ 

See you all tomorrow in Lapua……..

As this is, unfortunately, my last working day in Norway and my flight from Oslo is scheduled at 07.55am for Heathrow I have decided to accept an invitation from Kjersti to visit her studio “Vinkelen Galleri og Verksted” near Fetsund which she shares with her partner Neil, a goldsmith who creates incredibly beautiful pieces with intricate locking systems.

Awesome castings with the last image detailing the successful results of an ingenious, suspended dribble-cast.

That evening I was treated to a beautiful home-made meal of deer and mashed potatoes (with their jackets on! Mmmmmm yummy.)

I don’t exactly remember what time we all retired but 05.00am came about all too soon. Neil had very kindly agreed to drive me to Lillestrom train station where I could join the Express directly to Gardermoen and the international airport. Thanks Neil you’re a star!

By 12.00 noon I was standing on the main concourse of Terminal 1 Heathrow suffering from” culture shock” and wishing I was back in Norway with all my new friends and colleagues.

 I feel that this is not “all good things must come to an end”…. but much more like “I can’t wait to increase and develop all the wonderful experiences and techniques I encountered over the last two weeks”.

My sincere thanks to all involved in the facilitation of the Leonardo Programme and I am looking forward to disseminating my findings over the next few months.

Bye for now…………..!   Karl xo

No, I’m not a hot glass artist but I was looking forward to the Magnor Factory. So off again, thankfully the transport infra-structure is very good, for a train/bus trip.

Display Area showing graal, certrifuge, cast and production work.  

  Double graal, an amazing 3-D effect.  

   Egil Bentengen Production Manager was my guide.  

  They work from two furnaces using Glasma 208a Batch and rebuild tanks about every three months.    

Press-mould.  Centrifuge.  

 Mould shop.  

Graphite is used more and more now as a mould material. Traditional wood blocks are much harder to make and maintain.  Cooling/annealing lehr. 

Fire-polishing lips.  Final inspection before packageing.  

These murals and wood-carvings in the City Hall detail the cultural and industrial heritage of Norway and are on a grand scale. 

We then visited Galleri Kunstnerforbundet which was showing the work of Arne Aalberg, an international mixed-media artist. This gallery has a very good relationship with Kunsthandverk and would regularly exhibit high-end crafts.

I was invited by Elisabeth Sorheim to attend the opening of new works of fashion in their National Craft Gallery.  And after a bit of a shakey start we were treated to a very special opening.

Now that was enjoyable!  Also Elisabeth had invited Kjersti Elvevold who was to be my partner in crime for a day of the Programme.

We were then joined by two more glass-blowers………..

From L-R.  Kjersti Elvevold Designer for Magnor Glassworks; Kjersti Johannessen Glass-blower; Elisabeth Sorheim; Tanja Saeter Glass-blower:  And off to dinner we did go. Of course it was all down hill after that!

 Goog night everyone, tomorrow I’m off to Magnor Glassworks which was established in the 1890’s and is one of only two glass-blowing factories in Norway.