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2026 Local Artist Workshop with Donna Rice: Casting from the Inside Out
$860/person. All materials are provided.
Meet once a week: July 12 - August 12, 2026 | 10am - 5pm with a one hour lunch break
Registration Deadline: 06/28/2026
Prerequisite: No previous experience required. Open Faced Casting or Lost Wax Casting experience encouraged. Open to ages 14 years and older.
Course Description:
Every successful lost-wax, glass casting begins with a model that resembles, as near as possible, the envisioned sculpture. Whether casting from a positive model or considering a negative form, (core casting) this class will focus on perfecting your wax-modeling, molding and finishing techniques. With the luxury of five full days together, students should arrive with a few ideas and sketches adaptable to either or both formats. You each will receive one kilo of Gaffer crystal and the necessary wax and plaster to complete one or two small sculptures. Demonstrations at the start of each class will provide students with methods applicable to every level of glass casting.
Artist Biography:
Classically trained in art from a young age, nature has always been my source of inspiration. The natural environments of every place I have ever lived or visited are reflected in the organic forms that I sculpt. Using crystal, I cast natural objects that are universal in pure beauty and elegance.
Crystal is a material that reveals every detail of a form at once and draws the viewer in with color and light. My work explores the value of close attention to detail and the common thread of nature that connects us all. Magnified form and texture intensifies its visual and emotional impact.
My crystal sculptures are created using a lost wax process similar to bronze casting. Each of my sculptures begins with a hand-built, positive wax model that is encased in special plasters to create a refractory mold. The wax form is melted out and the negative void is filled with crystal inside a hot kiln. When cool, the plaster mold is broken away and the crystal sculpture is revealed.