The Gang hung a wheelie at the EASS Patron’s Day in the lead up to the ANU Graduate Show last week, and spotted some ripper work – most particularly Bernadette Foster’s in Glass…

(above) Bernie with one of her critters. There was some mindless muttering going on about her work being ‘too Tom Moore’ apparently, which does it a serious injustice. Yes, it’s whimsical, quirky and even cute – but it has an entirely different sensibility to Tom’s, notwithstanding that Bernie did do workshops with him and he gave her lots of technical advice (which is, after all, the most hallowed custom of the craft, n’est pas?) It’s certainly not derivative work by any stretch of the imagination. If you were casting around for a general description you might try Little Shop of Horrors crossed with Tom crossed with Tegan crossed with Pixar crossed with…You Get The Picture – but actually they’re just pure Bernie. Fresh. Current. Seriously cute. Cuddly even, which is bloody hard to achieve in glass.

Well done Bernie. She’s picked up an EEAS prize of an exhibition at the Bega Valley Regional Gallery in 2011. Perfect symmetry given that she’ll be moving down to Cobargo some time in the noo year.

It was rather nice to spend an hour or so mooching around the old fank – particularly at Grad Show time. Lots of quality gew gaws to see and fave peeps to catch up with…

…like Caren!! And Irene…

And Nige and Babs and Jo and Sal and Julie…and even lovely Michael from Wagga…most of whom we were so busy cheek pressing that we completely forgot to take snaps.

For a Gang’s eye squint, go here.

Our final treat was catching up, at long last, with Luna – just before she went into hozzie to have her gall-bladder whipped out…

Speedy recovery, darl.