By PercyEcholsII
Registration Opens Dec. 1
Time: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM, Additonal Studio Time: 6:00 PM – 10:00PM
Tuition: $800.00
Instructor: James Akers
|
James Akers is an artist, educator, blue collar worker and CEO with an explosive approach to making.
â Akers graduated from Alfred University in 2015 with an addiction to glass, neon, and electricity. Thriving on change and fascinated by waves of all kinds: sound, light, and electricity, he is captivated by the notion of âthe wild oneâ and people doing things they are not supposed to. Akers has shown his work internationally, been the recipient of public art commissions has received numerous awards and grants for his practice and is the is Chief Executive Officer of Cold Cathode Compact Fluorescent Light Company. Currently, Akers is based in Brooklyn, New York where together with my partner, Ali Feeney, they run a neon fabrication company called Nebula Neon. |
For me, neon provides the eye-grabbing glow of a screen in a three dimensional, shapeable, sculptural, linear glow. I add various modified consumer electrical circuits to a sculpture to expand and give it additional attributes. “
Class Description:
We will be making lots of things! Many of the techniques we will be covering require a bit of trial and error. Some failure is inevitable when learning. By learning and experimenting with a variety of techniques, you will have plenty of tools to use when making neon and plasma ideas.
To allow for maximum time in the studio we will have neon demos in the morning, slide lectures after lunch, with plasma demos, filling, and student work time in the evening.
Our demonstrations will include basic neon tube bending, sealing on electrodes, using glass solder connections, and leak repairs. We will also be making shapes in the hot shop for reworking with torches.
Lectures include examples of both neon and plasma and where they overlap, aesthetic and functional consideration for making plasma works. We will go over rules for making both neon and plasma.
You should expect to create simple neon shapes and see firsthand the luminous differences between neon and plasma. You will also be creating sculptures using blown glass shapes in the hot shop that are turned into plasma with flameworking, coldworking and kilnworking techniques.
Skill Level: INTERMEDIATE
