Posted: 11th July 2016
The first half of 2016 has been busy and exciting for Fusing Ideas Glass. Owner and glass artist, Jill Bagnall enthuses that her business is now beginning to look & feel as it was imagined.
The year started with the launch of the new studio back in March. This was a great success, spread over two weekends and I’ll be having an ‘Open Studio’ 2 or 3 times a year in future. Jill added “You are most welcome to visit the studio at other times, however, this has to be by arrangement, so calling first is a must”.
Next came the launch of a full e-commerce website & online gallery, providing a showcase for the fabulously functional art glass designed and made by Jill. You can also find out where Fusing Ideas Glass can be seen & bought at galleries and events.
Launch of the website was followed by the introduction of Fusing Experience Workshops; offering either half day ‘Tasters’ or full day ‘Workshops’ as an introduction to glass fusing. These are proving highly successful with details & dates online. Student/tutor ratios are small – group size is 3 – so plenty of help and advice is available and you make your own projects to be fused and collected (or posted) a week or so later.
More dates are being added soon, and Jill stresses she is pleased to arrange a day outside these dates (midweek or at weekends) for groups of 2 – 4 people, just contact her.
Jill will also be offering ‘Further Fusing’ courses very soon, for those who’ve already learned the basics, commenting “my students are so creative they are an inspiration and we’d love to take it further”.
In between all this activity, Jill fitted in her own CPD, which she views as vital to ongoing business health, studying advanced and new kiln-formed glass techniques as well as businesses workshops of which there are many, often free, offered locally.
Most recently Jill exhibited at The Big Arts Show in Shrewsbury and is now working towards Shrewsbury Flower Show and exhibiting at Stretton Arts Festival, both in August.
There is added excitement in the Fusing Ideas studio too, as Jill has just been accepted to show at British Craft Trade Fair in London in September, it’s a new event organised by the team that have produced BCTF in Harrogate for many years and offers a great opportunity to reach out to galleries and art/craft/gift shops in the South East and throughout the UK.
Jill has one or two further exciting developments planned for Fusing Ideas this year, including the launch of a jewellery range and more fusing experiences to make gifts or decorations for Chr…. shhh you know when. “Creativity is contagious, pass it on” – Albert Einstein.
You can subscribe to Fusing Ideas newsletter and keep up to date with the latest news & events, workshops and Open Studios.
Jill describes herself as a serial networker, visiting different WiRE groups and others regularly over the last decade and strongly urging you to do the same, not just for networking, also for great support and advice.
