Shane Fero 2 – Introduction to Blowing in Soft Glass

For more than five decades, Shane Fero has explored the possibilities of blown soft glass, developing a body of work that has influenced generations of flameworkers around the world.
Known internationally for his iconic blown birds and sculptural forms, Shane approaches blowing not as a separate discipline, but as a natural extension of understanding heat, movement and form.
 
Introduction to Blowing with Soft Glass is the second course in the Shane Fero series and offers students a comprehensive introduction to the principles that underpin successful blown work.
Across thirteen demonstrations, Shane guides students through pulling centred points, creating bubbles, controlling wall thickness, constructing vessels, working with colour, and developing blown sculptural forms. Students learn not only how to create spirit vessels, goblets, ornaments and birds, but also how air, gravity, heat and glass interact throughout the making process.
 
This course is about learning to think like a blower.
 
What You Will Learn
 
• Pulling centred points and creating controlled bubbles
• Understanding airflow, gravity and heat distribution
• Wall thickness management and symmetry
• Vessel construction and solidification techniques
• Colour cane production and colour application
• Decorative blown surfaces using shards and powders
• Goblet and bottle construction
• Hollow sculptural forms
• Observation, correction and problem solving
• Working with soft glass through repetition and practice
 
Demonstrations include Christmas ornaments, perfumers, goblets, colour cane, blown shard spirit vessels, figurative stoppers and Shane's celebrated blown bird. Each project builds upon the previous one, gradually developing the technical understanding required for more ambitious blown forms.
 
What Makes This Course Different?
 
Many glass courses teach students how to reproduce a project.
 
This course teaches students how blowing works.
 
Throughout the demonstrations, Shane repeatedly returns to the relationships between heat, air pressure, gravity and wall thickness. By understanding these principles, students gain skills that transfer far beyond the individual projects shown.
 
The result is a deeper understanding of blown glass and a stronger ability to solve technical challenges independently.
 
Who Is This Course For?
 
This course is ideal for beginner to intermediate lampworkers who want to develop confidence with blown soft-glass forms.
 
It is particularly valuable for students who already have some experience with sculptural lampworking and wish to expand their technical vocabulary through blowing.
Students who complete this course often discover that they are not simply learning how to make blown objects — they are learning an entirely different way of thinking about glass.
 
Why Shane 2?
 
If Shane 1 teaches students how glass behaves, Shane 2 teaches them how to harness air, heat and gravity to create form.
 
The course provides the essential bridge between technical foundations and artistic expression.
 
Shane 1 – Learn the material.
Shane 2 – Learn the process.
Shane 3 – Learn yourself.
 
By the end of the course, students will be able to create a wide range of blown forms while developing a deeper understanding of the principles that underpin advanced blowing techniques.
 
Included with the course is a library of supporting material, including Zurich Glass School's hand-drawn visual technical maps, student guides, demonstration notes, reference diagrams, and supplementary learning resources. These materials have been specifically developed to help students revisit techniques and reinforce learning away from the torch. 
 
This E-course can be completed entirely at your own pace. Expect challenges, adjustments, experimentation, repairs, and moments of discovery as part of the learning process.
Learning options and access details are outlined in the Learning Tiers section.
 
Runtime: 13 demonstrations - 282 minutes

Bonus Commentary Editions
 
Selected demonstrations include extended conversations between Shane Fero and Julie Anne Denton, providing unique insight into Shane's thought processes, artistic philosophy, technical decision-making and approach to problem solving.