Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

Residents waiting out winter can take advantage of two local art classes using glass-based mediums.

Sharon Svenson is hosting classes in glass mosaics. Each multi-day workshop costs $175 with enrollment limited to six students.

"(Classes) are all full within a day or so," Svenson said. "People get wind of it and they sign right up. It's a popular class."

Fused-glass artist Teri Bastable-Podsiki has also turned to teaching. Twelve students spend a week in her Glass Wing Studio creating different styles of bowls, vases and platters. Podsiki's recent classes have focused on plaid patterned glass. Her classes cost $50-$100.

"It's really rewarding because I give everyone the same instructions. To see the creativity from each of the students and what they can bring to the table is amazing," Bastable-Podsiki said.

Both classes welcome first-time artists as well as returning students.

"I was a self taught artist on a lot of my mediums," Bastable-Podsiki said. "When I took my first glass class I couldn't believe what I learned in four days. It's so nice to get that jump-start from somebody who has done the work. It cuts the learning curve down so much."

Bastable-Podsiki's Glass Wing Studio, built a year and a half ago, is meant to be a "safe space" for the community. After the landslide, she offered free classes to anyone that was affected by or volunteered with the disaster. She wanted to give back to the community, she said.

"I think it really helped people," she said. "The feedback I got was really positive. Even if it was just for a couple of hours, they got to forget everything that was going on."

She is guided by her philosophy that art heals.

Last Sunday afternoon, two students hunched over the table in Svenson's sun-filled studio. The sound of scraping, snapping glass sang over oldies tunes. Two poodles roamed the studio.

Sarah Jaymot worked on a mosaic of fireweed. Fireweed is often not recommended for beginners, Svenson warns. The more intricate the design, the harder it can be, she said.

"After this, I can take on any mosaic," Jaymot said. For her next pieces, Jaymot plans to make a mirror for her bathroom and a slice of pizza.

Patty Brown's mosaic captured a cat sitting on a windowsill, watching a fox roam through her yard. Long, bare trees emerge from the snow.

"This is very new for me. I'm one of those 'Oh, I'm not an artist, like you have to be out of the womb an artist or you can't be an artist' but I know better in my head," Brown said. "A lot of the self-talk gets in my way."

Svenson said some of the best pieces are made by students with no experience.

"It's the encouragement, too," Jaymot said. "I don't consider myself to have artistic ability. But I love glass."

Svenson decided to begin teaching weekend workshops last year after collecting a surplus of glass scraps from her mural projects. Developing confidence to teach classes was a hurdle, she said. Svenson has been creating mosaics for 23 years. Many of her students' mosaics were displayed in the local First National Bank Alaska branch.