It's all moving to Faborto Glass Art

From the 1st December 2010 this blog is moving to my new blogger location - "fabortoglassart"

Please also follow me on facebook to keep up with all the daily happenings...

I look forward to seeing you there.. :)

September Specials

September Specials

In line with regular quarterley specials the September Special is here.

Confirm your booking and payment before 31/8/10 and receive 20% discount. (Conditions apply contact me for details).

For beginners, 1 ,2 or 3 day courses designed with the beginner in mind,bring along a friend or a couple of friends for a day out of relaxation and creativity. You can learn how to work with silver and make a fabulous solid sterling silver ring ... for the more adventurous you can have a go at making your own glass beads or be totally creative and spend a day making fused glass pendants ,small suncatchers and glass windchimes.

The choice is yours, relaxing and stress free days are our prime aim.

For Intermediates / Improvers - Take the next step in creative design. 2 days spent looking at the various aspects of design and also looking at colour. Practical exercises culminating in turning your design into reality. Choose silversmithing / lampworking or fused glass.To release more of your creative flair. 2 day course, contact me for full details.

Remember when comparing to other courses... there is no comparison. Chosen as one of the Daily Telegraphs Top UK courses for 2010 for a very good reason.

This and a whole lot more coming in September.

Kind Regards

Carl

Wibbly Wobbly Glass New Range of Lampwork Jewellery

Having taught solidly for the past 15 months I have decided to dedicate some time on some designs I have been working on for the previous 8 months. It's along time, seems to be forever, since I have released a range of jewellery that is not only sought after but also affordable.

Here's an insight into whats coming :



Turquoise Hand sculpture Heart with ivory and fine silve inclusions And accompanying beads.




Borosilcate All Glass Pendant with implosion design.




I hope you enjoy :)

New Collection on the Way

I really cannot believe that a month has passed without me writing something. Well It's been a busy month thats for sure. I've spent a lot of time in front of the torch and at the the silversmiths bench getting a new collection together.
For the next month the tuition has been restricted by me to mainly monday, Friday and Satruday, although I do have pre booked lessons midweek and complete weekends.
The regulars now amounting to 12 who come on a weekly basis are really making some nice pieces. Superb designs and phenominal standards of workmanship.

So whats the new collection about ~ well it's about a collaboration of silver and glass, emphasis to glass but without the years of silversmithing skills, lampwork and fused glass I'd be in no position to actually put this collection together. I'm pretty excited and i'm looking forward to tomorrow to get things moving.

I'm going to be posting up some pictures over the next few days to show how it's coming along with the final unveilling being made early September.

Bye for now

Lampworking Demonstrations Goes Mobile

It's been a hectic week. This week has some movement in future events and exhibitions. Some of you may be aware that I have been asked now to run my courses at other establishments around the UK. Next week see's me in Essex for most of the week and next Month I'm down in the West Country.

What has also transpired this week is the need for some more equipment in order to cope with the demand of the lampworking courses and the fact that from August I'm piloting a brand new approach by taking the demonstrations to you. !! I can provide full lampworking demonstration at your venue I'm already talking to certain establishments to get my passion and knowledge out there into the wider audience so look out for Wibbly Wobbly Glass at a venue near you soon.

So in the furture you will see extra lampworking stations being installed to cope with the demand.

You can book the mobile service in advance and I will come along with all the gear and show you how it's done in the comfort of your venue. Contact me for full details.

Something else in the pipeline is bringing handcrafted works again the the forefront of British small businesses and putting handcrafted items further up in the ranks of "Things you must do or try" I'm planning on a massive launch of a new studio concept, This studio will be in addition to existing one, sorry it's a bit cryptic at the moment but there are certain things at this moment in time I just cannot divulge but it's going to be a whole new experience and I mean something that has never been done before. What it will mean is great new courses and workshops taught so that you can actually make whatever you wish, again, please contact me for details.

With the wedding season well under way I have been inundated with request for couples to come along and make their own wedding rings. With this and other courses I'm booked right up to the end of the year, there are obviously still some places available but I'm fully booked well into July and half of August has already gone.

Today was the usual monthly studio open day with some great people turning up to enquire about the courses and of course the regulars who come down nearly everymonth to just socialise with like minded people, those that wanted to have a go made some beads in front of the torch, very impressed to as a first attempt by everyone. I look forward to spending much more time in the coming weeks with those that not only booked the lampworking courses but those who booked for silversmithing courses too.The next open day is 9th July , which is a Friday so come along for a few hours and enjoy the atmosphere.

Bye for now regards

~Carl

Sculptural Glass Courses Now Offered

As things are moving along quite nicely as we now are mid way through the year i've added a new course to the line up .

I've been doing small scale sculptural work in an open flame for some time. I've now offered to incorporate an introduction to this and also for those who would like to take their lampworking to another level can learn how to create complex encased twisties and ribbon stringers.

Here's a sample of what you can learn. Check out http://www.wibblywobblyglass.com/ for further info.

Hope you enjoy them.












"Hand Sculptured Cobalt Blue Fish created by Carl Martin of Wibbly Wobbly Glass"


"A selection of encased twisties by Carl Martin of Wibbly Wobbly Glass"

Lastly some beautuful tourqoise beads with the addition of an encased twisite through the middle.



Bye for now .

Glass Takes Over !!!

Well , April came and went and already we are half way through May. In the last year my focus has steered into the world of glass more and more, Experimenting with lampworking and flameworked glass has suddenly developed into an obsession with texture,sculture and most of all colour. For the past 15 yrs i have devoted my skills and creativity to silver and other precious metals - It's now all about glass, sure i still love teaching silversmithing and silver jewellery making from the studio in Hampshire but colour has just added a whole new dimension. For the past month i have been trying to put a collection together of unique lampworked pieces and fused glass art.

At this rate I'm going to be moving to a bigger studio . I think this will last for the rest of the year but 2011 I'll be looking at moving along the corridor.

This months studio open day was fantastic for those that don't know ~I hold a monthly meet for lampworkers,fused glass artisans and silversmiths, all free to come along but of course you must bring cake.After last Saturday I now have a cake mountain. There were a total of 27 came along throughout the day the furthest travelled was a little under 300 mile round trip, and thats the second time she's made the trip in the last 6 months.

The lampworking tutoring has now been taken over fully by me as my very good freind Denise has been very poorly of late and will have to give the torch a miss for a few months. I have to say teaching lampworking is incredibly rewarding and the people who are now queing up to come along certainly appreciate a decent commercial studio with all the facilities that it has to offer.
I have found there is a huge increase in those wishing to learn this great art. My studio is fully equipped and beginners can learn all the basics, I can even supply a decent starter kit for those that wish to proceed at a far greater pace. For those unsure or wish to rent torch time I can accomodate that too.
If you have the basics why not come along and learn how to make some encased twisties these can make the difference from a nice bead into a truly stunning one.

I've also been asked to produce 200 Pandora style silver cored beads for a retailer so I'm going to be extremely busy in front of the torch for the next few weeks completing that order.

The silver jewellery courses are really in full swing and over the last 8 months I have seen some great developement in some of the students, they are now really producing some fine pieces.

The fused glass is almost as popular as the silversmithing and the lampworking, I've recently added some stunning Dichroic work to my portfolio and there are soon to be some glass art on sale.

Anyway appologies for not blogging for a while and don't forget you can add me to twitter as well http://twitter.com/CarlMartinGlass

Finger Print Jewellery Course is Launched

Forever moving upwards and onwards the newest addition is the finger print jewellery course. Learn how to make superb finger print jewellery and earn extra income from a very rewarding and lucrative art skill.

Combine it with a silversmithing course and learn to make your bespoke settings in precious metals.

With the launch of the 5 day craft extravaganza this is just one more in the line up of superb courses and workshops that take place all under one roof. Very low student tutor ratio to make your learning experience that much better. Acredited tutors in silver clay ensure on the best tuition and advice is available every step of the way.

I am now supplying silver Clay, Bronze and copper clay and paragon kilns and accessories. i also supply glass and silver by request.

Keep on watching.

It will just get better and better.

CMJ Launches 5 Day Craft Extravaganza

With spring in the air and the poor euro against the pound more and more British folk are leaving thier suitcases well and truly under wraps and ignoring the call of the Mediteranean and trips to distant shores. With so many smart and talented people coming through my studio doors I have today launched a 5 day craft extravaganza which will be held at my studio deep in the Hampshire countryside.

So what is involved..well a different craft or skill will be taught on each of the 5 days ,we will cover silver jewellery making using sterling silver and cover all aspects including cuttingtting ,soldering, finishing polishing Day 2 will be spent Lampworking and creating glass beads from molten glass rods, Day 3 will be spent making fused glass pieces including dichroic glass to make elgant and very beautiful jewellery, Day 4 will be spent using silver clay, copper and bronze clay, Day 5 is spent exploring the wonderful world of handmade cards, from using cutouts to embossing and handpainting and much much more.

Come and see us soon.

Carl

Handcrafted - Definately the way to go.

Having now settled into the new studio, and may I say I have had some very favourable comments. It certainly feels like home. Alot warmer too compared to the old studio.

So handcrafted items made by skilled craftsmen ( and women too ) is definately the way to go. It has been very apparent over the last few years that the buying trend has certainly favoured value rather than quality. Imported goods that are then assembled in minutes hardly constitutes handcrafted, handmade yes but there little craft involved and certainly precious little skilled craftsman ship involved.

I have noticed over the last 6 months an increasing awareness in both those that wish to learn new skills and those that wish to purchase goods or products that are handcrafted. By handcrafted I mean where a person selects raw materials and using skill and knowledge turns the raw item into something elegant and in my case wearable, and dare I say in some cases valuable. It's what prompted my venture into the world of teaching so that these skills aren't lost in the midst of can sometimes be described as "crap". Can you imagine if the trend had continued what would happen to antiques and family heirlooms of the future, there wouldn't be any. Antiques roadshow of the future - doesn't bear thinking about

So the thought for this week is seek out local crafts, buy wisely and if possible buy handcrafted.

You know it makes sense.

Carl

The New Studio is now open for all jewellery, lampworking and fused glass courses.

Well the move is now complete the past week has been a bit hectic but it now done and I'm now all ready to start of with some new courses which start tomorrow.

I've realised that people appreciate good tuition and as such are prepared to travel some large distances. In the past year I have had people from all over the UK come along. They have travelled from the Midlands, Sheffield,Norfolk,Kent,Essex,Hampshire,Dorset numerous people from London and the home counties and tomorrows attendees are no different as they are both travelling across from Bristol.

Above are some pictures of the new studio in Droxford Hampshire.

Bye for Now.

Carl

Carl Martin Jewellery Moves to the New Studio in Droxford Hampshire

Over the weekend saw some frantic moving of all equipment and furniture to our new home in the heart of the Hampshire countryside. Since CMJ and Wibbly wobbly glass came into fruition in the early part of 2009 as a full time business we have literally gone from strength to strength.

The new premises at The Old Hambledon Race Course Centre , Wallops Wood , Droxford is certainly in keeping with the image that I wish to convey. Set in the beautiful Hampshire countryside callers can now not only experience exceptional standards of teaching in silver jewellery manufacture and design but also lampworking and dichroic fused glass all under one roof. I couldn't do this without the help of some very important people namely my family and Denise Thereza, who I work with on a daily basis. Denise's speciality is fused glass and lampworking and has perfected her knowledge an skill after graduating from university some 8 yrs ago.

My own expereience has been well documented from the silver and gold that i have continued to explore for the past 14 yrs for the last year or so I have been experiementing with glass both lampworking and now fused.

There is a studio open day set for the 24th April so it would be nice to see old friends and new.

bye for now.

Carl

Carl Martin Jewellery AKA Wibbly Wobbly Glass

Not sure if all my followers are aware but for the past year I've gradually got heavily into glass. By glass I mean flameworked glass both in soft glass fir making beads and small sculpture but also borosilicate glass. I have found working with glass as enjoyable as precious metals but with the added dimension of endless colour combinations. Alot of my work, both in the production of Jewellery and the teaching aspect of my business now combines both mediums. what else could one want for but the inclusion of glass and silver together.

I've recently become an authorised distributor for Lauscha and Reichenbach glass and the recent addition as an appointed distributor for Glass Alchemy products which is a borosilicate glass with a coe of 33. I am extremely enthusiastic with working with Glass alchemy as the colour pallette is really the best in the world, not only that but the company has done a great deal of research into the way in which their glass can be worked.

March 22nd see's a move to a brand new studio deep in the heart of the Hampshire countryside in a villiage called Droxford. The setting is more in keeping with my work and can see this as being a permanent home for Carl Martin Jewellery and Wibbly Wobbly Glass for some years to come.

The courses are becoming increasingly popular and somewhat due to the inclusion in the Daily Telegraph as one of their chosen top 50 UK courses in January 2010 has emphasised this. I have the pleasure in meeting some fantastic people and seeing them develop into not only superb designers but also jewellery makers in their own right.

In the months to come I will be writing a project for a top UK jewellery magazine so keep your eyes open for that one.

Bye for now.

Regards

Carl

New Studio for Silversmithing, Jewellery Making, Enamelling, Silver Clay , Lampworking and Fused Glass all in Hampshire.

Well boy have I been busy over the last few weeks. Early February saw me move into the new studio. Still got loads to do to get it how I want it but the important thing is that it is warm comfortable and in a much more high profile position.

The new Studio is now home to a great many courses. Silver Jewellery, Silver Clay. Enamelling, Lampworking and Fused Dichroic Glass.

Since the review in the Daily Telegraph I have now got advanced bookings till the end of the year and things are really beginning to gain some real momentum.

I'm also now a supplier of Lauscha glass, Reichenbach glass, Sievert torches, National torches and I have at long last produced a range of brass lampworking tools for the lampworking artisans. I will have a range of brass marvers by the end of the month too.

So do look in

Look at the updated websites at :

www.carlmartinjewellery.co.uk
and
www.wibblywobblyglass.com

Carl

Are the trends changing at last... ?

After 14 yrs of working with precious metals and dedicating time and effort into producing truly handcrafted items in Silver and Gold I think peoples mind set are beginning to change. The courses and workshops held are becoming recognised more and more as times go by. I'm hoping that the general public are beginning to actualy look at what they are buying. For a long time people, not everyone, have purchased items especially from jewellery outlets that are little more than massed produced items that in the main look the part but can hardly be classed as precious. That's one of the reasons , since the late 90's infact, that I have always described the pieces I produce to be "As Individual As You".

I was fortunate this weekend to be included in The Weekend Supplement of the Daily Telegraph - they ran a feature on top UK weekend courses, I was honoured to be included in this article, I was even more pleased when reading this over breakfast this morning to discover I was the only Silversmith and Jeweller to be featured in this article. The opening paragraphs on the front page predict that courses are certainly the way to go and that winter holidays and the like are a thing of the past as is buying products when there are some skills out in the big wide world that in we are not careful are going to be lost, so it was suggested that to actually "go on a course and make your own " is a fast rising favourite. Who can argue with that.

To view this article please look at :-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/7093829/Top-weekend-courses-for-the-arty-crafty.html

Some of the people who have attended my courses and workshops, 6 have now been with me for the past 6 months, are producing some really fine and elegant pieces of jewellery.It makes me very proud of them as they put their heart and soul into making items that they are so proud of and when finished it almost brings a lump to your throat.

Next week see's the move to the new studio. I'm pretty excited about that may even figure out one day how to post some pictures up of the new studio, some students at work and the items they produce.

Thanks for Reading..

Carl

CMJ Goes All GLASSY

Not been around for a while as the start to the year has been incredibly good.
Many new changes for the coming months I think the two biggest are the fact that with Lampworking running a very close second to Silversmithing and Silver Jewellery.

With the atrocious weather for the first part of January putting travel arrangements in total turmoil it gave me a chance to get some much needed work done behind the scenes.

As you will be aware Lampworking and all things glass is my second passion in life and with that in mind set about seperating the Silver and the Glass as they are completely different beasts and much easier for me to manage if they both had their own domain.

On the 11th January 2010 Wibbly Wobbly Glass was born to cater not only for my need but also the growing interest in flame worked glass.
So please check out www.wibblywobblyglass.com
You will find not only the hottest place in the south for this but also a good comprehensive range of tools and equipment.

16th January 2010 saw the 5th studion open day - this was the first time it had been advertised outside of the lampworking forum - Frit Happens. The attendance was nothing short of staggering. a total of 35 came through the doors , most stayed for the day to watch some of the best lampworking demo's available. We even had a a real nice guy from Australia who was visiting his son oon holiday pop by and give us a demonstration of his bead making.
In addiiton i also took 7 course bookings in both silver and lampworking for the coming month.

The end of January will see us moving premises, same business park , different number. So from the beginning of Feb we are moving to number 4 Brambles Enterprise Centre.

With this in mind February will see the official opening with a 2 day event on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th February 2010. Come along have a go and see what your missing.

On

The First Day of a New Decade - Shop Now Open

Well - a new decade a new dawning - the 1/1/10. I'd promised some time ago after many many requests for an online shop presence that i'd get one done for the 1/1/10. It's done , It's now open - and I'm pretty pleased with the way in which it has come out.
Go and check it out www.carlmartinjewellery.co.uk

Now looking forwards to the 4th of Jan when I can welcome back my students after the christmas break. Here to a fantastic 2010 to one and all.