Artist Mary Hong Launches Workshops

A professional artist for more than 20 years and a glass artist for the past 13, Mary Hong is now sharing her passion for glass and unique techniques through instructional workshops. Her initial workshops held this summer were extremely popular and quickly filled with art lovers eager to experience her distinctive style and self-taught process for creating glass mosaics.
 
"It has been so rewarding sharing my love of art with students of all ages and skill levels," said Mary Hong. "I have been blessed with many incredible teachers in my life, including my college professor Dad, which has made it a natural progression for me to want to teach and share my passion with others."
 
Mary has created several two-hour, make-and-take art workshops in which no experience is necessary and supplies are provided. In the "Fused Glass Nightlight" workshop, students learn to cut and snip colorful Bulls eye glass and create a custom nightlight. The "Words in Glass on Board" workshop teaches participants Mary's non-traditional mosaic technique while creating a custom sign using recycled glass. The "Glass Art on Canvas" workshop includes a brief lesson on composition and teaches participants to design and create original glass artwork on a 12″x12″ canvas. In this session, students are encouraged to bring a lackluster canvas in need of a facelift, a small special memento that needs honoring, or a broken vase ready to be repurposed.

Four-hour, advanced classes are also offered, including classes on dyes, glass and resin and glass-on-glass window hangings. Mary uses a dimensional glass technique that allows the glass to stand rigidly on edge so that light can pass through it and reflect its colors and textures onto a surface. From wine bottles and lamps to dinnerware and shower doors, Mary uses mostly recycled glass to create her artwork. She cracks the glass herself and often dyes it to create her signature coastal color palate.

Within the workshops, Mary is also providing do-it-yourself instruction that allows participants to replicate the process at home. "Many of the materials you can buy at Michael's or your local craft/hobby store," said Mary. "The only material you can't purchase is the cracked glass, which you can break and tumble yourself or purchase the special dyed glass from me." Mary's work is featured in seven regional galleries, including A. Wickey Gallery in Seacrest, The Blue Giraffe in Watercolor, Beau Home Interiors in Grayton Beach, Lovelace Interiors in Miramar Beach, Beautiful Lights in Destin, SaltAire Restoration in Foley, AL as well as the Mary Hong Studio-Gallery in Grayton Beach. Encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response to the initial summer classes, Mary will begin offering classes at both the Mary Hong Studio-Gallery as well as the Bayou Arts Center in Santa Rosa Beach this fall.

 
For those interested in learning more about the classes offered, visit MaryHongStudio.com or email wiredglass@gmail.com. Custom classes may be booked for groups of eight or more. The next class will be "Words in Glass on Board" on Sept. 12, 2013 at the Bayou Arts Center in Santa Rosa Beach. The Mary Hong Studio-Gallery is located in the Shops of Grayton at 26 Logan Lane Grayton Beach Florida.

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