“They say to do something you love, and you will never work a day in your life- this is so true.”
A dynamic duo offering inspiring workshops:
Nestled in the market town of Rushden, Northamptonshire, a fabulous workshop awaits you with Fired Glass. With the support of two inspiring tutors and creatives, you can create a piece of bespoke, fused glass art. The tutors testify that your options are only limited by 'whether it will fit in the kiln.'
We asked John and Jill Tisbury what Fired Glass was all about and John couldn't wait to tell us everything there was to know about them.
John happy with the Covid-19 provisions, Jill preparing for their latest Youtube video
When did you start teaching workshops?
Jill and I are both qualified trainers and training developers. We have always run workshops and courses across a wide range of subjects and content. We began offering glass fusing workshops in 2018 from our home studio.
Tell us about your workshop space/ surroundings.
We have a purpose-built studio in our garden. It’s a warm and cosy space with seating for up to 6 delegates. There’s space for displays of recent work, 3 glass kilns and a whole range of frits, powders, murrine* and glass sheets. It’s like being in a sweet shop seeing the rows of colours and bottles on the shelves. Most visitors ask if they can move in with us!
*murrine are colored patterns or images made in a glass cane that are revealed when the cane is cut into thin cross-sections.
Tell us about the variety of courses on offer?
We offer a range of durations from 2 hours up to full day courses. We give people the flexibility to make what they want within the timeframe they have booked. We run a wide range of courses from vitrigraph workshops, lantern making workshops and even a course titled Chocs & Glass. We are both qualified Chocolatiers, as well as a 5 star rated catering venue!
Tell us about your team.
We both love art and sharing our passion with others. We decided to combine our love of glass and our formal training backgrounds by offering fused glass workshops. Not only do we teach, we also sell items that we make.
Being creative is what Jill does best. She can help people work through their ideas, design and approach, and also suggests the best materials and layout to help bring their ideas into reality.
I am the technical expertise behind our website and social media. I am a professional photographer and videographer too. I also look after the production side of things for our tutorial YouTube videos.
We must not forget our cat Amber. She often drops by the studio to supervise and then sleep when she is comfortable that we are working hard.
Describe a typical month as a maker/tutor
Things have been a little strange for the past 15 months or so! In normal times, we would be hosting at least 1 or 2 craft courses a month.
Inspiration can strike at any moment which means Jill will often be trying out new ideas, new designs, products and creating new murrine patterns.
We record and edit technique and how-to videos for our YouTube channel.
Do you also craft in your spare time, are there other crafts that you enjoy?
Jill enjoys painting wildlife and pet portraits. I really love photography and cinematography.
What advice would you give to other people looking to teach their skill?
Learn the skills and techniques for teaching and training people. Take time to understand why someone has booked on your course, what was their motivation, what did they want to achieve from their session? This helps you to meet their needs and set their expectations.
What is the funniest thing to ever happen on one of your courses?
Learning Polish. We had a course of 6 ladies who were all friends; mothers and daughters. They were all Polish with just two of them able to speak English! We had great fun explaining what to do and by the end of the workshop Jill could speak quite a few words of Polish.
We laughed, made glass items, ate cake and drank tea whilst sharing a common purpose and camaraderie.
Want to learn more about glass art?
Are you all fired-up by Jill and John's interview? Find a glass art workshop in your area and take a piece of treasure home with you after having a fabulous experience!
Want to join our tutor community?
Would you like to earn an income from your creative passion? You too can promote your craft workshops, online classes, craft kits & finished items through CraftCourses. It is totally free to sign up and add listings, we will only take a payment once we have secured you a booking or order. It's easy to do, please sign up and if you have any questions that we can help with don't hesitate to contact us.
