Penny Stuart is a long standing exhibitor at Ferry Park Gallery and presents a vibrant display of her glasswork as ‘Artist of the Month’ for October. She lives and works at Woombah, NSW, surrounded by the coastal heathland of Bundjalung National Park, the coast and the Clarence River, which provide the inspiration for her work. A short course in lead lighting in 1978 began a long term interest in glass. Traditional leadlight and copper foil techniques are used to design and make leadlight windows, mirrors and lamps, but fused glass has become her focus in recent years. This process involves using a kiln to combine layers of compatible glass, giving a rich, deep and sometimes textural effect, and, of course, always with the possibility of the unexpected! The range of glass plates and jewellery on display is kiln fused, using layers of Bullseye and dichroic glass. The pieces of glass for the jewellery have been cut, layered and fired in the kiln up to 4 times, before completion. Each piece is unique and the designs and colours are constantly evolving. Commissions for leadlight panels form part of Penny’s work and this year, memorial windows were installed in All Saints’ Anglican Church in Yamba for the Lindeman family. Teaching others glass techniques to realise their own projects remains an important part of my practice and I hold regular classes in my area through Adult Education providers. Ferry Park Gallery is open from 9 to 5 everyday, so why not pop along to see the fantastic display, it’s also never too early to start your Christmas shopping. Alison Merrin