Join a glass art courses in the Kent Downs

Glass fusing involves creating a design in glass and then heating the glass to around 800ºC to join the pieces together. (Don’t worry, you won’t need to go near the kiln once it’s hot.) The hotter the kiln gets, the smoother the finish; at lower temperatures you can make things with texture.

Glass fusing is great for 3D items such as dishes and stand-up glass panels as well as jewellery, coasters, suncatchers, bespoke wall tiles, splashbacks and more.

You don’t have to be able to cut glass accurately, so it’s great for beginners. Also, as no lead is involved, a fused glass course is safe for expectant mums-to-be and under 18’s.
You can make fused glass art to be proud of in as little as a day, so we run one day taster courses as well as longer courses.

Glass appliqué is like mosaic, but it uses pieces of colourful glass on a plain glass background, so that the light and colour can shine through your finished piece.

Your pieces of glass can be whatever shape you like; they don’t all have to be the same. Again they don’t need to fit accurately together, as the spaces between them can be filled with grout. This makes glass appliqué courses ideal for complete beginners and people who lack strength in their hands.

It’s also another technique that’s lead free and thus suitable for under 18s and pregnant ladies.

On a taster day you can expect to make a panel of around A5 size or a simple candle holder. On a course of two days or more, you can make something larger & / or more complex, with more pieces of glass.

Leaded stained glass is the form traditionally used in old houses and churches in the UK. The lead came (channel) is H shaped in cross section; you cut your glass to slot into the top and bottom parts of the lead and solder the junctions in the lead came to fix everything in place.

If you’ve never cut glass before, don’t worry; we’ll start by getting you cutting with confidence before teaching you to create your own design firstly on paper and then in glass. In two days a beginner can expect to make a panel of around A4 size with ten pieces; if you have prior experience, you’ll probably have time to do something more complex.
We encourage clients to use slim and elegant lead to make a panel that you’ll be proud to show to your friends. (We can provide wider lead if you prefer.) While it’s quicker to do something just with straight lines and with wide lead, we like to take the time to teach you good techniques for a nicer end result. Thus our shortest stained glass course is two days (or six 3 hour weekly sessions).

Sign up for our weekly classes and make a window for your home or a dramatic panel for your garden!

Copper foiled or Tiffany stained glass is often associated with Tiffany lamps- intricate glass lamps made from hundreds of small pieces of colourful glass. It’s also popular in the USA for windows; it was developed there in the late 1800s by Louis Comfort Tiffany, a pioneer in the Arts and Crafts movement.

On a short course, copper foiled stained glass lends itself to sun catchers, stained glass panels, decorated mirrors and 3D items such as trinket boxes, candleholders, desk tidies etc. A beginner can expect to make a panel or sun catcher of around ten pieces on a two-day course, starting by learning both to cut glass and to create your unique design. Clients with previous experience can progress to more complex designs & 3D pieces.

Retreats are an opportunity to escape from the hustle and bustle of life and spend some quality time unwinding, relaxing in lovely surroundings and perhaps trying something new.

We run two kinds of retreats- retreats for people who just want to get away from it all, and Christian retreats for people who want to spend a bit of quality time with God and make something beautiful while they’re at it.

Sometimes we also run retreats at retreat centres in the southern half of the UK; these usually offer the option of full board accommodation. Some even have heated swimming pools!

Our kilns can be hired subject to availability. Standard fuse schedules for Bullseye glass are available, optimised for each of our kilns.

In our Kilncare FK3S our standard shelf measures 80 x 40cm and a fuse or slump programme with an anneal hold for glass up to 9mm thick costs £25.

In our Kilncare Elite Fuser we have two shelves, one 72 x 43cm and the other 72 x 49cm; you can use one or both. If fusing something across the two shelves, you may like to bring a large piece of ceramic fibre paper to go underneath your work, especially if your work is transparent. (Feel free to speak to us in advance if you have any questions).

A fuse or slump with an appropriate anneal for work up to 9mm thick in the Elite Fuser costs £40.

For longer firing or fusing schedules, prices can be calculated based on the time for which the kiln is needed. Please ask for details (e.g. for thicker work which requires a longer anneal, or for glass casting).

If you wish to fire glass with silver stain or fuse glass with silver (e.g. with silver-containing wire), you’re welcome to bring your own shelf or use our dedicated 30 x 30cm shelf. Any damage caused to our large kiln shelves by tainting with silver (or copper) will need to be paid for. If in doubt, please ask!