Bright glass artist Sarah Williamson’s Gallery Lavande
The many hues of Victoria’s Alpine region provide a wealth of inspiration for this artist.
FROM her glass art gallery in the alpine town of Bright, Sarah Williamson doesn’t have to go far to find inspiration.
“This area is vibrant at any time of year. Of course especially autumn with the changing leaves,” the 46-year-old says.
“But in spring there’s the daffodils and jonquils, budding trees and in summer it’s still green, through to the snow in winter.
“Even in my own garden I have colour year-round.”
Sarah’s Gallery Lavande specialises in glass art, including leadlight — at one point making a series of 10 leadlight windows for a church. The mother of two also makes fused glass, which involves melting the material at 850C for a long period from which she makes a colourful array of artworks, including framed glass with an autumn leaf inside, and for the garden bright flowers and red mushrooms.
Sarah also melts glass with a hot torch in a process known as lampworking, where she makes beads for jewellery such as earrings and more recently makes love hearts on leather straps for necklaces.
She says since moving to Bright 18 months ago, her work has reflected the environment.
“The outdoors is definitely my inspiration. I’m a keen bushwalker and the family skis and snowboards when we can. Just across the road is a pine forest where I go each day,” says Sarah, who is also a keen painter.
“I just love working with glass because the possibilities are endless. The result is stunning.”
In Gallery Lavande (named after the French word for lavender, which is her maiden name), Sarah also runs workshops for adults and children — when not affected by coronavirus restrictions — including a four-hour class in leadlight or mosaic, and 90-minute art classes for kids.
Sarah grew up in Melbourne but for most of her life has holidayed in the alpine region, initially taking a short night course in leadlight art at the age of 19, before studying and working in graphic design.
She moved to Mt Hotham, where she met her husband Craig, and then a town near Dubbo, where for the first time she established a studio.
It was there she was commissioned to work with the community to make 10 leadlight windows for a church, depicting the Macquarie River system, one of which was 2m in diameter.
Sarah says a lot of people are scared of glass, fearing it will shatter or smash, but she adds that unless you drop it, making leadlight or fused glass is a safe process. “If you respect the glass, the glass will respect you.”
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