Alison Byrne of Wildbird Studio and I recently jumped on the chance to travel up to the North Antrim Coast to take “Flameworking Essentials”, a weekend workshop with Andrea Spencer.
Andrea’s work is beautiful and ethereal, and her ability to capture the likeness and fragility of natural items is breathtaking. So when she announced that her studio would be open to small workshops again, we were beyond thrilled to take a road trip north and learn from her.
Andrea and her husband Scott run Benefield Spencer Glass on their old farm property on the rugged north Antrim coast in Northern Ireland. Upon approaching their property, you can feel the inspiration – the wide open space, the proximity to the sea – that comes across in Andrea’s work.
The weekend workshop focused on learning the essentials of Flameworking — from tips on setting up your own studio, using different types of torches and learning of their fuel requirements, to working with borosilicate rods and tubes.
Andrea also peppered both days with plenty of demonstrations that inspired, but didn’t overwhelm us. And if you’re like us — wanting to get stuck in to create —this was a perfect agenda for a weekend workshop.
Andrea is generous and kind in showing newbies (like myself!) all the techniques needed to start safely experimenting with boro and students with more experience (like Alison!) guidance on how to take their work to the next level. She is a master at gauging what each student needed and tailoring it to them.
If you have a chance to take a course with Andrea, DO IT! I know I’m hoping to make it back up sometime soon. She is offering a few more courses this summer – check out her website at http://www.andreaspencerglass.com/benefield-spencer-glass-studio to learn more!
And make sure to also spend a few days exploring the gorgeous North Antrim Coast – here’s a few photos from nearby to tempt you to travel there yourself…
