Giles Bettison employs a technique for making complicated murrine (mosaic glass) patterns that was developed by the artist Klaus Moje. Using the compatible colors of Bullseye Glass, the process involves fusing sheets of colored glasses in layers, cooling and then cutting the layered glass into small pieces, and then assembling the pieces into patterns on a metal plate. The patterns are fused again inside a kiln, and then picked up (or “rolled up”) onto the blowpipe with a “collar” of molten glass. The softened murrine cylinder is then manipulated by Bettison into its final form. Bettison’s murrine vessels from the “Paddock” series are distinguished by their earth tones and complex abstract, rhythmic patterns that are inspired by the Australian landscape. In Australia and New Zealand, the word paddock refers to open land that may or may not be cultivated. Bettison’s patterns reflect the vivid and often contrasting colors of cultivated fields, especially as seen from the air. Bettison is one of a group of well-known artists who graduated from the Glass Workshop at the Australian National University’s School of Art in Canberra. After graduating, he built an independent practice, first in the United States and then in Adelaide, South Australia. In recent years, he has moved from making vessels to creating large-scale panels for use in architecture. Signed: “GEB” signature murrina in the wall of the vessel. For more information on Giles Bettison’s work, see Margot Osborne, Australian Glass Today, Kent Town, South Australia: Wakefield Press, 2005, pp. 48–51.