New Studio Location

Rick Silas and Silastial Glass has moved gallery and studio into the town of Sidney.  We are now located on The Mary Winspear Arts Centre grounds.   We have 3,000 sq.ft of space and 6,000 outdoor which we plan on turning into a sculpture garden.  We are open most days from 10 – 5 pm but please call to confirm.  You can find us at the south end of The Winspear property with access off of Bevan Avenue.  Look for the giant red “pencils.”

It’s official…Rick will be teaching at Royal Roads University

LEARN THE ART OF ETCHING ON GLASS

Date: Sat, Nov 19, & 26, 2011

Length: 6 hrs
Times: 10am – 1pm
Cost: $125 + applicable taxes
Best to Register By: Sat, Nov 5, 2011

Course Description (PDF)

Course Description

This class teaches you how to create and transfer permanent images on glass using lightweight etching tools. Learn to etch glass on two 10’’x16’’ plates using diamond etching tools. Etching on glass is a very safe and simple technique that allows you to create a finished art piece that will stand the test of time. We use reclaimed tempered glass. This medium has many diverse applications such as creating signage or auto “tattooing” and allows you to turn existing glass showers or railings into works of art. The techniques learned in this workshop can also be used to etch other materials like ceramic, stone, metal and concrete.
This process uses no heat or chemicals and requires no previous artistic skills. Etching tools are easily available and can be purchased for as little as $50 at most hardware stores.

Topics:
• The abundance of waste tempered glass in the market place
• How to “up cycle” glass you have at home into one of a kind art
• How to set up your studio and get started
• Hands on creation of your own work

Learning Outcomes:
This introductory course introduces the students to the tools and techniques of etching on glass. The student will safely learn to etch glass on two 10’’x16’’ plates using diamond etching tools. Etching on glass is a very safe and simple technique that allows you to create a finished art piece that will stand the test of time. We use reclaimed tempered glass.

This medium has many diverse applications such as creating signage or auto “tattooing.” This technique allows you to turn existing glass showers or railings into works of art. Rick etches on glass to add detail to his ice glass paintings and shaped shatters but his favourite use is for turning waste tempered glass into large garden sculptures that can easily deal with Canadian winters.

The techniques learned in this workshop can also be used to etch other materials like ceramic, stone, metal and concrete.

Facilitator: Rick Silas has been a professional artist for over 30 years. The techniques he has developed for painting on glass are multi-dimensional in appearance with a patented formula for bending glass without heat allows him to create large glass sculptures without the limitations faced when using heat. he mainly uses reclaimed tempered glass and has sold many hundreds of pieces over the last twenty years. Featured on The Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet he was filmed bending a piece of glass into a sculpture. Rick has had numerous local, national, and international published articles and many radio interviews.

TO REGISTER FOLLOW THIS LINK

http://www.royalroads.ca/continuing-studies/CYTAEA2654-Y11.htm

Rick now working onsite at the Cedar Hill Arts Centre creating a hand etched and painted 45′ x 8′ landscape mural.

Starting today Rick will be onsite at The Cedar Hill Arts Centre creating a 45′ x 8′ mural.  Rick will be hand etching and painting a landscape onto the existing glass.  The centre is open to the public for those who wish to go and view the work and progress and speak with Rick.  The Cedar Hill Arts Centre is located at

3220 Cedar Hill Rd, Victoria B.C.    Click onto the following website for more information.

http://www.saanich.ca/parkrec/recreation/cedarart.html

The following image is a detail sample of Pine Branch hand etched and painted on a panel of reclaimed tempered glass.  This is a small sample of what Rick will be creating at the Cedar Hill Arts Centre.

Hand Etched and painted Pine Branch

Just completed a glass wall…

Rick just completed a project for a company that wanted a glass wall made from reclaimed materials.  Rick used reclaimed tempered glass sourced from a company that had designed to use the glass for shower doors but were the wrong size.  Rick used his “ice glass” technique for the walls and also created “fossilized” plant imagery on the glass.  Reclaimed old growth cedar wood was used to create the bases for the glass.

Detail Photo of 3 of 12 panels

 

 

 

Green Career Opportunity

By Rick L. Silas

"Ice Glass" Tabletop

After 30 years of developing all of my own techniques and technologies in reclaimed cold worked tempered glass I am now teaching these techniques to those wanting an alternative and green career opportunity.  While my focus has been in creating a new artistic medium for creating fine art paintings and sculptures the demand for functional items such as glass tabletops and bases, countertops, walls, tiles and backsplashes has been overwhelming. The techniques that I have developed have so many applications that I am unable to focus on any one of them and would rather pass this knowledge on and allow others to benefit.  I am confident that learning and concentrating on even one of these techniques could provide a nice income for those such as tradesman, craftsman, artisan and artist.  With a minimum investment an individual can take what I teach them to any city in the world with no more than a room and a few hundred dollars of materials and earn a living from that city’s waste tempered glass.  The tempered glass is available in the market place in the form of miss cuts at the factory door or office towers being upgraded with thermal windows.   For more information on this opportunity please visit www.coldbentglass call (250) 656.9370 or email silasr@shaw.ca

• Classes range in price from $495 – $5000 plus applicable taxes /per person.
• Cost includes all materials.
• Classes range from 3 hours/day over 4 days to 3 hours/day for 10 days.
• Small Classes
• Private instruction available.

“This course is well suited for all students, from the novice to the experienced artist.  Rick Silas is a fabulous teacher and it is felt in the enthusiasm by which he teaches and passes along this unique medium.  The class starts with just the right amount of demonstration, instruction and guidance as you get your feet wet in this limitless medium.” Quote from Melanie, Student.

“Rick is a fantastic instructor. Friendly and helpful, he has a passion for the medium that really comes through. And should you find yourself stuck, or uncertain, he has got the idea or solution that will move a piece from good to great.” Quote from Daniel Langman, Student

Please check out new posts on my blog

More artwork, more information on bending glass without heat, more on workshops, more on learning how to have a “green” career” …