Celebrate the stark beauty of winter trees!

January is a time of quiet contemplation and long walks wrapped up in scarves, watching the extraordinary shapes trees make against a winter sky. Stripped of their leaves, they show you everything – every fork, every twist, every contorted branch reaching out against the light.

On this four-hour course you’ll capture exactly that: a tree silhouette in glass, set against an atmospheric sky of your own making. Jen guides you through the whole process, from building a sky with real depth and movement to shaping the fine, delicate branches that make a tree silhouette convincing.

You’ll be doing it in the warmth of our barn conversion studio, which is a rather nicer way to appreciate a January tree than standing in a field looking at one.

What You’ll Learn

• Building an atmospheric sky – layering glass to create depth, mood and movement behind your tree
• Creating fine branch detail – the techniques that give a silhouette its delicacy and character
• Composition and balance – where to place your tree, how much sky to leave, and why negative space matters
• Colour for winter light – choosing a palette that reads as cold, still and atmospheric rather than flat
• Kiln forming basics – understanding what happens to your piece once the lid comes down

Jen is on hand throughout, whether you want help with the technical side or a second opinion on your composition. If you arrive without a clear idea of the tree you want to make, that’s absolutely fine – she’ll help you find one.

What You’ll Make

One fused glass winter tree, approximately 39cm in diameter, in your own choice of sky colours.

No two trees ever come out alike. The branch shapes you choose, how heavy or sparse you make the canopy, whether your sky is a cold pale dawn or a heavy dusk – it all adds up to a piece that’s unmistakably yours.

Frame It for the Wall

Add a frame for an extra £65, bringing your finished piece to 50cm in diameter, with hanging fixings fitted to the back so it’s ready to go straight up.

Framed and hung where it catches daylight, a winter tree is at its best on exactly the sort of grey afternoon that inspired it.

Perfect For

• Anyone drawn to winter landscapes, bare trees and quiet, atmospheric imagery
• Complete beginners – no experience needed, and Jen guides you through every stage
• Experienced fusers wanting to work on silhouette and depth
• Anyone looking for a calm, absorbing way to spend a January afternoon
• Groups and friends booking together – there’s no maximum number on this one

Gift vouchers available.

Why This Course?

Winter trees are one of those subjects that look simple and absolutely aren’t. Getting a silhouette to read properly – delicate enough to feel real, bold enough to hold the eye – takes the right techniques, and that’s what this course gives you.

The sky is where it comes together. Glass does atmospheric skies beautifully, holding light in a way paint can’t, so your finished piece shifts and changes depending on where you hang it and what the weather’s doing outside.

Experience Required: All levels welcome – complete beginners to experienced glass workers
Course Duration: 4 hours (12:00pm – 4:00pm)
Cost: £185 per person
Optional Framing: £65 – glass frame, 50cm diameter, with hanging fixings fitted

Your Tutor: Jennifer Barker – Lead Instructor & Founder

Jennifer has been working with glass for over 30 years, having discovered her passion for the medium while studying at Wolverhampton and Staffordshire Universities, where she completed a BA and MA in Glass.

Her expertise spans the full spectrum of glass techniques – from delicate kiln-formed pieces to large architectural installations. Jennifer’s specialist areas include kiln-formed glass, surface manipulation, and kiln-casting, but she’s equally passionate about traditional techniques like stained glass and copper foiling. For 12 years, Jennifer was Head of the Glass Department at Glyndŵr University, where she discovered that teaching glass art was almost as addictive as making it.

What sets Jennifer apart as an instructor is her genuine love for sharing knowledge. She believes that anyone can learn to work with glass beautifully – it just takes the right guidance, encouragement, and plenty of hands-on practice.

Please use the calendar above to select the course date and book

Can’t make the date? Please email us to register your interest at jen@cheshireschoolofglass.co.uk and we can let you know when further dates are added