Complimenting Lori’s skills is Vice President, Penny Bedal. Penny has had a passion for stained glass since 1992 when she took a one-day workshop (She was 8 ¾ months pregnant and couldn’t commit to more.) and was hooked. Since then she has attended numerous and longer courses to increase her skills in cold, warm and hot glass techniques.

 

In 1997 she began sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with others as she has developed and taught a variety of glass classes to students of all ages. In Ontario, Penny organized artisan studio tours and participated in numerous art festivals before moving to Nova Scotia in 2000.

 

Penny wears many hats in the Cranberry Studio. Typically, she’s the first smiling face you’ll meet at the door or the understanding voice on the phone. As a result, she’s heard it all and deals with it all. And if you’re skeptical, ask about the cremated ashes she once incorporated into a molten bead.

 

Much of her day is spent designing glass patterns on her “magic” CAD program. She orders glass shelves and table tops, consults on glass choices for kitchen cabinets, visits homes to measure windows for inserts, organizes courses and staff schedules, teaches and, when she’s really lucky, gets her hands dirty by assembling her own copper foil designs, fused projects or torch-worked beads.

 

Inspired by Canada’s Group of Seven, Penny enjoys the challenges of working natural elements into her glass designs and appreciates the edginess of asymmetrical and abstract work. Cutting intricate designs with a ring saw, fusing printed words and images, making her own distinctly textured glass, and imbedding various metals are just a few of the techniques that take Penny’s designs to new levels of creativity.

 

Teaming up with Lori Nason in 2005 has allowed Penny’s creativity to thrive and both partners welcome any chance to dim their computers, go to their work tables and “play”, their term for research and development, with new products and out-of-the-box creative concepts.

 

Penny is most enthusiastic about “Sharing Her Passion For Glass”!