Queanbeyan's little art gems

It belongs to glass artists Mel George and Jeremy Lepisto who join a long list of local creatives who live, work and play in Queanbeyan.

Their studio, called Workshop Level, is a place where they dream up kiln formed glass projects for themselves and others.

On November 21, they will be one of four local studios to open their doors allowing curious eyes a glimpse into their creative space for the 2015 Canberra Design Week.

"We think it's really important [to open up the studios] because we're all hidden away but you would not believe the calibre of amazing people that live in this town and what they produce," Mel said.

"We've got a few other local studios involved including Fink who make the beautiful jugs and are incredibly internationally well known. It's a very rare opportunity to see behind the scenes and I'd definitely encourage others to take advantage of that little gem."

It's been five years since the couple set up shop in Queanbeyan after more than a decade based in Portland, Oregon where they first met and established their own business, Studio Ramp LLC .

Mel, who originally hailed from Canberra and Lepisto who grew up in Toldeo, Ohio teamed up to work on some incredible projects including three-storey building facades and a life-sized glass Orca whale in a children's hospital ward.

However, these days the couple is concentrating on their art practice with a few commercial projects thrown in for good measure.

"We came back in 2010 and bought a house in Queanbeyan. We drove past this property everyday to and from work and went to go have a look...and this was the perfect place," she said.

"It had a nice open shell, beautiful views and it had the right electrical and power which is a very big concern for us glass makers."

A happy coincidence for the artists has been the strong community of local creatives as well as industrial businesses in Queanbeyan.

"It's a very supportive place. We can get mostly everything we need in this location, in this town. Our powder coating, our fabrication for metal and our stainless steel guys are right across the road," she said.

"The great thing about Queanbeyan is that it is made up of a lot of small businesses so you know the owners and work together to make things happen. It's worked out terrific for us and we're really happy to live here."

Mel studied at the ANU School of Art changing mediums from ceramic to glass after falling in love with the 'characteristics' of glass.

"My work is based a lot on, what you would call 'abstract narrative'. I make work based on taking out those poignant moments of everyday life and interpreting those into colour swatches that might evoke a story. I use layouts like calendars and match the stories to create something so it's really up to viewer if they can see the story or they might just say it looks beautiful," she said.

"For me, glass really works well with some of the themes I make in my art work. There's a fragility to it yet it's strong. There's a lot of 'personalities' of it that really related to human condition...

"For me I like that idea of all those tiny bits, even down to grains of sand, getting trapped together in a frozen moment."

2015 DESIGN CANBERRA EVENTS - Saturday, November 21 (all events are free)

1. Glass artists Mel George and Jeremy Lepisto's Workshop Level

Address: 3/134 Gilmore Road, Queanbeyan. Open from 11am - 3pm. Drop-ins welcome.

2. Gold and silversmith Alison Jackson of Pocket Studio

Address: Unit 5/209 Gilmore Road, Queanbeyan (entry is around the corner via Kendall Avenue). Open from 11am - 3pm. Drop-ins welcome.

3. Glass artists Matthew Curtis and Harriet Schwarzrock's Open Studio

Address: 114 Uriarra Road Queanbeyan, NSW. Open from 11am - 3pm. Drop-ins welcome.

4. F!NK and Co Workshop Tour by Robert Foster

Address: 25 Endurance Avenue, Queanbeyan. Open from 1 - 2.30pm and 3 - 4.30pm. Bookings essential through eventbrite.com.