2025: 09/24-28 Pâte de Verre Magic, with Emma Varga

September 24-28, 2025. 10am-5pm, with a lunch break from 1pm-2pm daily. 

Discover the versatility and creativity of Pâte de Verre with international glass artist Emma Varga, one of 21 artists featured in the book Pâte de Verre - The Material of Time. This course will explore Emma’s distinctive approach to Pâte de Verre, which diverges from traditional glass paste methods to incorporate innovative, simplified techniques that speed up the process and introduce new possibilities.

Over five days, participants will start by crafting small Pâte de Verre elements using frits and powders, which will become the building blocks for larger, three-dimensional pieces, such as fused-cast sculptures, constructed objects, and textured wall panels. This class is designed for all skill levels; no prior glass fusing experience is necessary, and both beginners and advanced students will create their own unique, 3D glass art.

Emma’s methods focus on a straightforward process, minimizing the need for coldworking and allowing participants to complete multiple projects by the end of the workshop. Throughout the course, students will have access to Emma’s digital gallery of recent works, including close-up details of layered glass techniques. Emma will also demonstrate her methods firsthand, creating small projects that exemplify each step.

A key component of the course is mastering precise firing schedules for Pâte de Verre. Emma will guide students in recording, discussing, and understanding firing techniques tailored to different types and sizes of fused/cast pieces, ensuring successful results for each unique creation.

Join Emma Varga to learn, explore, and expand your glass art skills in this hands-on, creative journey through the magic of Pâte de Verre.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Emma Varga, born in Yugoslavia, graduated from the University of Applied Arts in Belgrade, where she trained as a glass sculptor and designer. After moving to Australia in 1995, she continued to create glass art, building her international profile through participation in over 100 prominent exhibitions and more than 30 solo shows worldwide.

Varga’s recent work focuses on environmental concerns, using her art to visually communicate both the beauty and fragility of the natural world. Over her 50-year career, she developed two innovative glass techniques: Multiple Layers Fusing, which enables intricate, controlled three-dimensional imagery within glass slabs, and a distinctive method within the Pâte de Verre technique, particularly suited to exploring themes of fragility. Her pioneering methods have drawn international interest, and she has been invited to demonstrate and teach them at major glass centers globally.

In 2023, Varga’s career culminated in a retrospective exhibition at the Wagga Wagga Art Glass Gallery, home to Australia’s National Glass Collection. Her work is included in numerous museum collections across Australia, the United States, and Europe. She has been awarded several prestigious honors, including Australia Council Grants for New Work in 2006 and 2012, the Stephen Procter Fellowship at ANU Canberra in 2017, and the Arctic Circle Artist Residency in 2017. In 2021, she received the Creative NSW Grant to fund four exhibitions marking her 50th anniversary in glass art.

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