It never crossed my mind that our beadmaking courses would be so international! Of course our Florence, Italy location makes it a little easier to justify traveling here to take a beadmaking course than to some places. :) And Florence is obviously a very international city, but wow...! Here are just some of the places from where students have visited: Japan, Canada, Peru, Turkey, Croatia, Norway, the United States, The Netherlands, Malta, Lithuania, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, China, Argentina and of course from all over Italy. It has been a joy to meet these wonderful people and get some sense of who they are and where they are from. We have been very pleased to see both consistent local interest as well as from travelers.
After receiving a couple of nice notes from former students, I thought it would be fun to start a testimonials page that also celebrates the diversity of our student body! | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Sedef - Istanbul, Turkey "I thank you so very much for your grand patience. I
have learned a lot with you. My skill has certainly
improved vastly and those neat little tricks that
you showed and shared are the secret keys to easier
accomplishments. Last but not least making me feel so
at ease and at home made my learning process so much
more comfortable and fun. It was a great week of
learning and producing :) THANKS... PS Please give my best to Lily and of course a big hug
for (shop dog) Siesta..." | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Egle - Vilnius, Lithuania "These Beadmaking courses were especially useful for me. Tim helped me to solve many different questions I was interested in, starting with the preparation of a workshop (torch, flame, tools, gas, gas cylinder equipment, annealing furnace, etc.), and finishing with such various techniques and details, play of colours, forms, decoration, etc! During the courses I gained certain knowledge; what is more, I was encouraged and inspired. Now I quickly move forward in beadmaking domain.
It was very pleasant to meet and work with the teacher Tim, who is an extraordinary person. He is not only a dedicated, good-natured, thoughtful, and friendly teacher, but also a very talented artist.
It is very pleasant to remember warm and creative atmosphere in the studio, lovely and sociable Lily, Louis, and other warm people who were there.
The souls and hostesses of studio dogs Siesta and Suzi are particularly unforgettable! I always smile remembering them! We would like to give thanks to Siesta on all our family’s behalf for her sincere and professional nurse’s work with our little son, who is only 1.8 years old!
And, of course, the microclimate of the studio is special as it is in the centre of the Old Town, surrounded by historical masterpieces of incredibly beautiful Florence, world’s art, science and culture!
I look forward to coming back here in future in order to improve and possibly to learn some other subjects taught in this studio. I sincerely wish others to come here and learn as well as spend holidays in Florence!" | |
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| Lesley & Norman Silver - Cornwall, England "Tim the course was really great - It was exactly what I hoped for and more! It totally covered what I hoped to learn in the time we had. When I decided to take a beadmaking course I had my pick of many from the internet - basically worldwide, as you are aware. I contacted a number of tutors and picked you out of all of them. The reasons: You communicated - You tried to accommodate my times - Your fees were fair and you didn't promise to make me a craftsperson overnight!!! Plus you sounded nice and you are! oh yes... and you lived in a nice area, which certainly helps but that wasn't the deciding factor, it was the fact that your website was honest.
Our only complaint was that we didn't have enough time..." |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maureen Williams - Staffordshire, United Kingdom "I have just spent a most excellent three days with Tim on his bead making course. I learnt such a lot came home with some beautiful beads and Tim has the patience of a saint, always encouraging even when my beads look nothing like intended. I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn a new skill and make beads of their own or update a beadmaking skill and combine it with a holiday in Florence, what more can you want to create happiness." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Francesca Addabbo - Bath, United Kingdom "I had a wonderful time learning from you. When I booked the course I was not entirely sure of what I wanted to learn so I asked to focus on hollow beads (at that time I believed I knew how to make beads and wasn't really planning on relearning.) I read from previous comments how good it was working with you and how patient a teacher you were. I understand now what they meant. Having been a teacher I know how hard it can be passing on information to others and mostly having the patience to accept the different speed at which different people absorb that information. You are definitely a natural at what you do (both making beads and teaching!). It was fascinating to watch you transform a lump of dead glass into a live and beautiful bead. And you were also fast at understanding my needs and switching to what you thought would be the knowledge I most needed to take home. Be assured I will treasure every bit of what you taught me (especially those nasty hollow beads...!) I have a new beading world opening in front of me and I am now counting the days to go back home and sit in front of my torch." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hope Parker - Hawaii, United States "I had a great time! The class was perfectly structured and even more fun and interesting than I expected. Thank you for your excellent teaching skills!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "We really liked that it was just the two of us with you (and Siesta) and there were no other students around to take away your attention (Yup, we're selfish). We also liked your teaching manner which was very relaxed and your willingness to explain and/or experiment based on our questions and queries. The process of trying out the various bead styles and tools definitely helped us decide whether we wanted to pursue Bead making further. Again the information you could supply us on the various aspects of bead making helped immensely in this decision. Having the books on hand was a very nice touch, especially when we could take them away with us and have a read during our time in Florence.
All in all we were very pleased with the instruction, environment and the company!" |
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Fred and Christine - Orillia, Ontario, Canada "I found your bead making workshop a great hands-on introduction to lamp work. I was hoping to take a mosaic workshop in Ravenna but did not have the time for a 5 day workshop during my two week stay in Italy. Thank you for opening my eyes to another way of working with glass. I am confident that the basic training I received with you will be invaluable if I decide to set up a workshop in my home where I can pursue bead making as a hobby. We did not get to know each other well but I did enjoy working with you. You asked for some advice on the workshop. There is nothing that I would want to change. You did a great job! Thank you for the access to your library as well. We all enjoyed looking at the bead book that you lent me." | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Kathleen & Nissa - Philadelphia USDear Tim, Now that the jet-lag cobwebs are cleared out of our brains it is time to thank you for our wonderful experience with your bead making workshop. Nissa has asked me to speak for both of us.
We arrived at your door with no prior experience at all, and it was a great introduction to lampwork. We felt that a lot of learning was packed into our 9 hours, and it certainly gave us a good taste of the process. Both Nissa and I were surprised (and delighted) at how many different variations you had us work on. I think we both had a vague expectation that we would spend the whole time trying to perfect one simple bead, so being challenged to jump just a bit higher with each bead was both exciting and encouraging. Nissa is definitely planning to continue to learn more about glass bead making and glass work in general; she would like to eventually explore glass blowing as well as expanding on this lampwork introduction. Lucky for us, our city has several glass studios that offer classes as well as rentals, and we are checking them all out. Whenever we talk about the workshop we took with you and about learning more about glass work, Nissa just lights up. Clearly, for Nissa, this course with you lit a spark (no pun intended). Although I did not have the aptitude with glass that Nissa has, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed working with this new (to me) medium. So even though my participation in your workshop began as moral support for my daughter I am intrigued enough to follow through with more lampwork classes too. Nissa and I agree that you are a very gifted teacher. Your calmness and patience took the stress out of the experience and allowed us to enjoy the challenge of learning. For us it was the perfect introduction to lampwork, and for Nissa a whole new door has opened. Thank you so much! Sincerely,
Kathleen |
Bonnie - Utah USHi Tim, I wanted to thank you again for the class. You have the perfect tempermant for a teacher. You never made me feel stupid or clumsy, even though I know I was. It was the highlight of our trip to Italy. And working with you has made me want to continue with the lampworking and hopefully get good at it! Again, thank you for everything!
Bonnie |
| Laura - Washington State USI had a wonderful time in Florence. I thought the course was very good--and I think that you are an excellent teacher. I definitely have a good overview on lampworking. The link for putting together your own studio is very helpful. Thanks again |
| Faith - MaltaThanks so much for your patience with me during classes. I know I asked a load of questions, so I hope I wasn't being a pest! I really enjoyed the process.
As far as a critique of your class, I'm happy to give my two cents worth. For me, I wished the class was longer. I know I spent lots of time asking questions and the on-demand information was just as valuable as the hands on time at the torch. Plus, my time at the torch was elongated in my drive to "leave no bead behind"! (My homage to the new American education system!) I could have easily stayed a few more days.
Hands down, I am glad I came. Without the class I would not have made the decision to start bead making. Like I had said, I can watch all the videos in the world, and read every book, but there is no substitute for the instruction of a qualified and experienced teacher.
Many thanks, |
| Natasha - USHi Tim,
Thanks again for the course. It was everything I wanted in a class, you really managed to cover all the different techniques I was interested in learning. I could have happily spent another couple of days trying to copy everything you showed me!
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Testimonials
