International Goldleaf Workshop

[DAVE SMITH]

Hi Everyone
I am about to bring to fruition a long-held ambition of mine
to come to the States and share Gold-Leaf Techniques with you, with the
help of two very good friends of mine, and leading exponents of Glass Gilding,
Noel Weber and John Studden.
I have organised two workshops, one in California and one in Idaho . Due to circumstances the dates for Gary Godbys workshop in Virginia will now be in September and to confirm later possibly in Boston at Gregg Hegars shop. .John and myself teaching at Larry Whites in Hayward Cal, first, and then Noel Weber ,John and myself teaching in Boise. These workshops will be 3 days long. early start and a late finish. We will not simply be showing you gold and paint methods but assisting you in the production of your own Gilded Glass sign,inspired by an original piece in the ''Old Blue Last'' Pub in London, produced 110 years ago
(see enclosed pictures)


The panel at the bottom with Larry's name in is where your name will be acid etched


This shows some of the panels we made in recent workshops, In total so far we have had 3 workshops here
on this letter S design with 12 students attending, I decided to change the artwork for the States workshops by adding more border detail
so it would explain what the piece was about. The original sign still at the pub is 10ftx8ft 1/2inch glass

The Techniques you will learn are.

Water Gilding-with various carats of gold
Blending Gold
Acid Etching
Mica Stipling
Abalone and Pearl inlay
Finger Blending
Hand Blending Shadows the traditional way
Complementary Colour Combinations
Screen Printing.
Other techniques will doubtless surface during discussion.

You will be provided with

wooden work frames to hold your glass
1-shot enamels and inks
A step-by-step A4 11 1/2'' x 8 1/4'' booklet with photographs covering every stage of the workshop as an aid to memory.
Drinks,Donuts and Pizza etc will be provided at the workshops also there are restaurants local for your own use if you get time


You will need to bring

5 books of 231/2ct Gold Leaf (loose)
1 books of 18ct Gold leaf (loose)
1 book of 12ct Gold Leaf
Gilders tip
A gilders knife and cushion (if this is your preferred method)
1 sheet abalone 9 1/2'' x 5 1/2''
1 sheet Mother-of-Pearl 9 1/2'' x 5 1/2''
If you have lots of saved broken pieces of Abalone and Pearl ( Perfect! for this job)
We intend to break up randomly sheets of pearl to scatter them on the top of the letter S


You will need to bring 2 pieces of 1/4'' plywood size to be confirmed ( roughly for now to allow you to check the size of your case 23''x21'')
( these will be attached to either side of the work frame to form a safe
travelling box which can then then be placed inside a suitcase with your clothes for your return journey)

Your glass will be too large to carry in the flight cabin of an aircraft, and post 911 items of glass will probably not be allowed to travel with you anyway.

Workshop Dates

Hayward ,California, April 27th 28th 29th 07 At Milestone Manufacturing Home to Larry White and Doug Philips ( & the famous ''Deadman Meet'')

Boise Idaho May 4th 5th and 6th 07
At Noel Weber's Award Winning Classic Sign and Art Studios.

The cost of the workshops is $795.00 per person, paid by cheque and forwarded to the hosts Larry White and Noel Weber.
Details of this will be confirmed who to make the cheques payable to ,and mailing addresses will also be sent out at a later stage.
The cheques will be cashed only when all of the places on the selected course are filled.
Should the course be cancelled due to insufficent numbers cheques will be returned.
To Avoid disappointment, I suggest early booking as there are only 20 places available at both venues. 40 total

Please confirm your booking direct to me here in England by email at chapman_and_smith@btinternet.com I will then forward details of payment and addresses to you.

When making your application please advise me of any previous glass gilding experience you may have. ( this will enable us to tailor the course to our needs)

The deadline to recieve all posted payments will be by Febuary 6th
We will not be using Paypal .



We Hope to see you there.

Dave Smith Chapman and Smith Studios, England


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[Larry White]

Dave-
The workshop sounds really exciting. That's some grand artwork. I look forward to executing that with you, then admiring it for the duration hanging in my studio. This is gonna be sweet!!

-Larry

[Wayne Osborne]

Blimey Dave-That looks fantastic!- there sure is a lot of work in that!!

If your thinking about signing up for this one-
DON"T THINK IT.....DO IT!!

I did this S workshop with Dave here in the UK last year, and its well, well worth it-..It WILL change your life!

[Larry White]

Back in about 1989, while thumbing through Sincraft magazine, I saw the book, "The Art of Glue Chipped Glass Signs". It looked interesting, so I ordered it. After I got it, I was amazed at the art of glass signage. I was foaming at the mouth to give this art a try. Glue chipping looked so interesting. Bob's book covered glue chipping, but not the finishing aspects. That book directed me to Raymond LeBlanc's book, "Gold Leaf Techniques". Having read and reread both of these books, I was ready to give it a try. Unfortunately, my present living situation wasn't going to work for the creation of glass art, so I moved. Just through reading the books, I created my first glass sign. The Gold Leaf Techniques book mention Esoteric Sign Supply (Rick Glawson's store) as a source for the supplies. After a few orders, Lola mentioned that Rick offered a weekend seminar on the techniques. I was in! Rick's seminar was marvelous and we created several pieces that were completed over the weekend. I was basically hooked on this art from the begining... and am even more today, 18 years and countless pieces later. Lola could see I was pretty darn ambitious and excited about the art. She invited me to attend their annual California Conclave Letterhead meeting, it was their fourth. I made it to all, but one, when my daughter was born. I gained a reputation as being the quiet guy in the back who was alway busy working on something. People recognized me by the back of my head. Rick would have to kick me out at 2:00AM, and I'd be back at 8:00AM the next day. Going to Rick's meet was like stepping out of reality for a weekend. To this day, I've always got several pieces in production and a dozen in my head.

After Rick's untimely death, John Studden has picked up hosting an annual Memorial Conclave meet. There's also been other glass meets around, including my own. John and Noel Weber have teamed up to host a very informative hands-on workshop. They've had two, and I believe they're planning more. Now David Smith from England is coming over to hold workshops. These workshops are the best place to learn this wonderful craft, and the techniques aren't all that hard, they just need to be done correctly. Anyone with a desire to learn this can execute wonderful pieces after a little practice.

May I say, that for anyone even slightly interested in this art form, these workshops will teach you way more than any book out there. It's really hard to ask a book a question if you're not certain. But not only will you learn from some very knowledgeable instructors, you'll also join a community of artisans that dearly care for this craft and are willing to share their knowledge at a moments notice. We all learned that from Rick. Unfortunately, we also learned that nothing is forever. I fear, that if the workshops that Dave and John and Noel put on, aren't subscribed too, they'll quit offering them. So, if you're thinking on taking Dave's workshop, prepare for an over the top intense 3 days of work, learning, and comrodery. I know Dave would really like to hear from you if you're thinking about taking his workshop. You're gonna leave with a darn nice reverse glass piece...with your name on it, a heck of a lot of knowledge, and probably some new friends too!

[Doug Bernhardt]

Dave, This looks like you'll have your hands filled. I wonder if your wife and kids will let you disappear for so long or are they going to join you? Larry's comments are well noted. I took Noel's workshop back in the 90's and it was a life changing experience....and it changed things I would never have thought of. I'm hoping I'll be able to get away and have a close look at how you lot (English) do things....and yes Larry, I also remember you as the quiet one with his nose down the whole time (at Rick and Lola's)

[Danny Baronian]

Here's a photo of the glass in progress from a previous workshop at Dave's shop in England.

The glass, frame and stand are included in the workshop fee.

[Doug Fielder]

Hi Dave and Larry,

How many people do you have signed up for the April event so far? I will be doing everything in my power to make it to this one (unlike all the others that have been canceled!)

[Dennis Davis]

Hello all,

Since I reside in Boise, I thought I'd offer to house one or two people in our home while you attend the workshop. If you commute by automobile, then I can direct you or lead you to Noel's shop from our home. If you are coming by commercial air carrier, then I could pick you up at the airport, provde housing, and take you to the shop each day and pick you up in the evening. We would be willing to provide breakfast and dinner if you so desire.

Some of you may be considering attending the workshop, but the extra cost of staying at a hotel might be a bit more than your budget could handle. For those of you in this situation, my offer is made with no strings attached and at no cost to you. Hopefully, your decision might be easier to make with this offer in the mix. I won't be attending the workshop, but I do have a love of the craft and those who strive to reach loftier goals in the trade. Don't be shy.

You can email me at denniso3(at)cableone.net if you want me to leave the light on for you. Please put "Workshop Housing" in the heading of your email as I tend to delete email from unknown parties.

There are no dogs or children at the house if that was a concern to any of you.

Dennis Davis
Boise, Idaho

[DAVE SMITH]

Hello Doug.
We have been getting bookings here, there are still a few openings available for the classes in both Boise and Hayward Cal ,so any one wanting still to book can contact me on this email chapman_and_smith@btinternet.com

Thanks

I Hope to make this happen.

Dave

[DAVE SMITH]

Hi Dennis.
This is very kind of you to offer some of the people your hospitality whilst in Boise.
Like I said in my post to Doug I hope we can all make this happen.
I understand some of you could not get through using my email ,The email I have asked you all to reply to has underscores in the gaps between (chapman_and_smith)
I have no idea why it is not seeing them. It seems to work with a test I've just done.

Thanks Dennis.

Dave

[John Lennig]

how is the List shaping up for Boise? I'm really looking forward to this workshop,it's the Right Time!!


John

[Dennis Davis]

I'm happy to report that my offer to house a couple of workshop attendees has been accepted. Right now, there is no longer room at the inn. If any of those who have requested housing change their mind, I will re-open this post and update the housing availability.

Thank you.

Dennis

[DAVE SMITH]

High John.
At the moment we only have 5 people for Larry's in Hayward and 6 for Noel's in Boise . I have held back on asking for any money to be sent incase of low numbers.
When I mentioned it back in November I had the full amount of interest, but now
Maybe this is not a good time for some people to attend these workshops. Probably could of done with advertising it in Signcraft,what do you think?
If we don'nt have the full 20 in each class by 6th Feb I'm afraid I will have to cancel this idea. I'm Open to ideas !

Dennis. Thanks for the accomodation offer.

I'll make another post on the 5th
thanks


Dave

[Doug Bernhardt]

Hey Smitty....I sometimes wonder if this time of year is the culprit. Over here we seem to hybernate and not really look too far into the future. It might be worth blending Larry's and Noel's if that could work...it would be a shame to only be able to make the one stop. Hope you keep us posted!

[BruceJackson]

I would love to attend a workshop. I have been wanting to arrange it for several years.
The trouble is they always come up with too short notice. Coming from Australia, the trip is a long way and I'd also want to visit some other people and museum collections (Corning) to make the expense more palatable. I need to know dates at least 6 months in advance to have any chance of making it happen.

Unfortunately, I was never able to meet Rick for this reason, even though he invited me to the conclave a couple of times.

If this time won't happen, don't let it die, just set a future date and build up towards it.

Maybe you could all come to Australia instead! Now there's a plan.

[DAVE SMITH]

Hi Bruce.
Now that is a good plan! Ive always wanted to come out to Australia. I will be having this workshop at Gary Godby's in Virginia and if we get good numbers this time around there will also be one at Greg Hegers in Boston . This will be in September this year. As for these workshops now I will have to cancel them from today. I really appreciate you all trying to come on the course ,we did actually get up to a total of 16 people booked and ready to gild but as you all know we needed 20 in each class. Probably just the wrong time to do this and like Bruce said maybe needed some more notice on all of this. If anyone here is still keen to do these workshops and would not mind traveling a bit further to Gary's or Gregg's please let me know.
Thanks to all those who booked for these workshops, sorry to cancel this on you........Thankyou Larry for trying to help make this happen and to Mike for letting me advertise this here .

Anyway for now see you.......

Dave UK

[Doug Bernhardt]

Now thats a shame.....although this is the first I've heard of Heger's in the fall. Thats' pretty close to six months from now to boot!