Imageination Hot-Glass and Printmaking Intensive in Black Mountain

Imageination with David Walters & KCJ Szwedzinski is a five-day intensive hot-glass and printmaking workshop held in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Set at NC Glass Center's studio at 112 E State St, this course blends blown-glass fundamentals with surface imagery techniques—screen printing, enamels, and calligraphic pen work—to teach how form and image inform one another. Over five full days (May 10–14, 2027, 9:00am–10:00pm), small cohorts of six students rotate between artist demos and extended blowtime at the furnace, learning to make sheet glass for hot pickups, burn screens for silk-screening on glass, and apply enamels for durable, decorative surfaces. The studio floor is the scene: a roaring furnace, glory hole, marver, annealer, and kilns flank benches where teams move in rhythm. Key features of the experience are the hot pickup of sheet glass onto blown forms, the chemistry of glass enamels, and the tactile negotiation between scale and image. Materials include soda-lime glass and colored enamels; students explore how choices in shape alter how imagery reads across curved planes. The course emphasizes sketching, ideation, and teamwork, making it as much about concept as technique. For visitors to the region this workshop doubles as a gateway into Black Mountain’s creative community—short drive from Asheville, the town itself has a long artistic lineage tied to the legacy of Black Mountain College. By day you’re at the bench; by evening you can wander Main Street galleries and cafes to see how local makers translate craft into commerce. Practical details: participants must be 18+ and ideally at an intermediate skill level; contact [email protected] with questions. There is a non‑refundable $100 deposit, and cancellations are accepted up to 14 days before start. The workshop price is listed at $1300 and group size is limited to six, ensuring plenty of instructor attention. Expect long, hot days in front of the furnace and bring closed-toe shoes and a willingness to work as part of a team. Daily rhythm mirrors a small production studio: morning demos frame the technical vocabulary, long afternoon and evening blowtimes let ideas be tested at full scale, and the final Friday session includes clean-up and dinner. Expect to leave with multiple annealed pieces—some may require later coldwork or additional kiln firings—and with a clear workflow. The instructors, David Walters and KCJ Szwedzinski, emphasize transferable techniques suited to studio practice. Bring curiosity and steady hands.