Once she had a love, and it was a gas. Soon, it turned out, BettyLynne Burwash had Mountains of Glass – an original exhibition of mountain-inspired stained glass pieces currently on display at the Banff Public Library Art Gallery.
An opening reception with Burwash in attendance will take place tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 2) from 7-9 p.m. in the library.
Unlike previous shows, her current exhibit uses Mother Nature’s muted shades of browns, beiges, grays and blues, with Three Sisters and Mount Rundle as her core subject matter. Her choice of glass is exquisite and she has a knack for following lines.
“They’re pretty powerful,” she said. “We wake up to them every day. My inspiration comes from seeing the glass. I take my cues from the lines.”
That might explain the diversity in her work outside of the show.
From accent pieces to lanterns, cabinet insets to kitchen backsplashes, Burwash intuitively knows what goes where. And there’s a subtle but noticeable cowboy influence in every piece.
“It’s my heritage and my husband’s heritage too,” she explained. “I take great pride in it.”
Despite Christmas looming, with school projects, hockey games, puppy-training and everything else on her ‘to-do’ list, she’s unmoved by the pressure, whether it’s working with glass or life in general.
“There’s something to be said for patience,” she admited. “I always make sure things are where I want them to before I put it to glass.
“It’s been a couple of interesting years for me. I’ve learned more about patience and being there and being present.”
And with all that glass in the house, it would be easy to assume that Burwash’s hands take a beating. But when it comes to self-injury, she said, it’s not the glass that poses the greatest risk, but a kitchen knife.
“Oh,” she laughed. “There was the lunch-time avocado tragedy – that frantic moment when everyone’s getting ready to leave the house and you realize that you need to make a detour to the hospital.”
For more information on the artist or to purchase a piece, please contact Burwash directly at www.burwashglassworks.com or at 403-762-0545.
Mountains of Glass is on display until Dec. 31.
