Giles Bettison

Giles Bettison leads Australia’s glass community as one of the most sought-after and recognized artists due to his pioneering evolution of the Venetian Murrini or mosaic glass technique that dates back 4,000 years. The mosaic technique involves fusing slices of glass pattern bar together to form vessels or panels called glass canes. His innovative and experimental use of the technique includes using colored sheet glass to create the canes, which are cut into strips and stacked to build up a pattern one section at a time. He then rolls the sheet onto a glass blowing iron where he uses techniques similar to glass blowing to create the desired shape. The steps to create a single piece take seven to 12 days with several separate cold, warm, and hot steps throughout the process.

Bettison investigates ideas about connection, beauty, pattern, and perception in his work. While each of Bettison’s series reflect different and distinct explorations, the ideas and themes that influence his work most - landscape and textiles - cross-pollinate, building upon and informing each subsequent series. Inspired by the rhythms and textures of sources as disparate as farmland to dense cityscapes, Bettison combines seemingly random and frenetic patterns into a unified composition. Other works explore the significance of textiles within cultures and traditions. The weaving traditions of West Africa, Mexico, and Indonesia, especially cloth used in celebrations, rituals, and rites of passage also influence his work. Bettison says, “The fine detail, intricate patterns, and colors all speak of careful attention to detail, time commitment, and skill among other things, values that are held in high regard.”

Submitted by Tansey Contemporary