Featured Craft Artist at The Gallery, Mogo
Barbara Stewart – Creative Jeweller
The Featured Craft Artist at The Gallery in Mogo until the end of February is prize winning designer and maker of “one off” jewellery pieces, Barbara Stewart. All her life Barbara has been involved in creative arts with an innate love for patterns, colour and design.
Persuing studies in design and fabric printing at TAFE, she later tutored in silk screen printing. Barbara has also experimented with techniques in batik, pottery, lino printing, enamelling and abstract painting.
Barbara retired to Batemans Bay from Grafton to be closer to family and to be near the water but while on a trip to New Zealand Barbara's work moved in another direction when she discovered dichroic glass jewellery. She was so amazed at the beauty of the colours and how they changed that she had to be a part of that scene. Barbara has mastered the art of dichroic glasswork as is evident in her beautiful range of iridescent jewellery on show at The Gallery.
This ancient “art process” has been transformed and enhanced by the introduction of modern materials and technology. It is a process used largely by the US space agency NASA where layers of both metals and glass are kiln fired at extremely high temperatures resulting in the amazing pieces on show. Barbara's pieces are unique as it is very difficult, if not impossible, to repeat the results of the processes involved.
Barbara is also widely known for hand made and brightly coloured scarves, which she has now made more interesting by often adding silver jewellery pieces.
In the early years of The Gallery, when it was known as Wattlebark Gallery, Barbara spent many hours (and often days) as Gallery Cordinator promoting the Gallery exhibitors and ensuring that the presentation was always “up to scratch”.
The Gallery is a co-operative venture of Creative Arts Batemans Bay Inc., (CABBI), an association which is open to local arts and crafts practitioners. People interested in finding out more about CABBI should drop in to The Gallery or phone 02 4474 2243 and speak to one of our members who would also be one of our exhibitors.
The Gallery in Mogo is planning a programme of social evenings and small exhibitions for 2018.
The first is to be an evening to meet our current Featured Craft Artist, Barbara Stewart on Wednesday February 7.
Wine and cheese will be provided as light refreshments and Barbara will give a brief talk on her specialised craft of Dichroic Jewellery.
The venue is The Gallery 52 Sydney Street (Princes Highway) MOGO and the time is 5.00 – 6.30 pm. Please phone The Gallery on 4474 2243 to assist in catering
