Glass art stall adds rural designs to collection

The Bell Cottage Crafts stall was glistening with an array of unique glass and concrete garden art yesterday – and some of the creations had a rural twist.

Waitoa resident Jan Shoemark, who has been making glass art for about seven years, created rural designs for
Fieldays including a mirror with a sheep that reads ‘Ewe look good’.

Shoemark said she has created more than 1000 artworks, including a mixture of humorous and serious designs,
and now farm animals such as sheep, llamas, and alpacas join the collection.

“All my designs are inspired by what I see around me, whether created in a contemporary art style or a more
traditional art form,” Shoemark said.

She said each piece is unique because the glass is all hand cut, and she sometimes makes custom designs.

Shoemark has won multiple awards at art and garden shows, including an award for best site in the Eastern
Exhibition area at Fieldays in 2007 when she began exhibiting at the event.

New Plymouth concrete garden artist Terry Bailey joined Shoemark at her stall, selling concrete pots and other garden ornaments for his first time at Fieldays.

Bailey said he makes cast impressions in dune sand, often with unconventional items including one of his son’s toys that he used to create a unique face impression.

“Stuff I make is different and no two are alike,” Bailey said.

Bailey has been creating concrete art for 13 years and sells them at craft shows throughout the country.

Customers who purchase items from the stall at R36 can get them delivered to gate two by the courier service
for free.