Sirens of the Sea · Permanent Collection
Charcoal on glass
Reverse glass painting · Est. 1992
Light, caught from behind the glass.
Original Hinterglas paintings from a working studio where the Atlantic meets the Cape Breton highlands. You're warmly invited to come and see them in person.
North Shore Sun Bather
Reverse glass · 16 × 24 in
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The craft
An old European art, worked entirely in reverse.
Hinterglas is a technique of painting / drawing on the back of the glass — graphite, charcoal and watercolour laid down in the opposite order you'd expect. The glass itself becomes the finish, so every colour reads as though lit from within.
I
Composed in mirror
The entire scene is planned in reverse, resolving the right way round when viewed through the front of the pane.
II
Foreground first
Highlights and the nearest details are painted first, then each layer builds backward toward the horizon.
III
Sealed with light
A soft white backing closes the work; the glass protects and brightens the colour for a lifetime.
The glass remembers light. Painting in reverse is simply learning to see the way it does.
The reverseThe working surface — built up on the back of the glass.
Selected works
The collection
These original works are on display at Hinterglas Art Studio & Gallery.
Updated July 21 2026
Kraken of the Sea · Permanent Collection
Charcoal on Glass
Crabby Toadstool
Watercolour on glass · 6 × 8 in
North Shore Sun Bather
Charcoal on glass · 16 × 24 in
On the Edge
Charcoal on glass · 18 × 22 in
Looks Like Rain
Charcoal /Watercolour on glass · 12 x 16 in
Spring Jacks
Charcoal /Watercolour on glass · 10 x 12 in
A Whale's Tale
Charcoal on glass · 12 × 26 in
Angels' Trumpets
Watercolour on glass · 16 × 20 in
Caught in the Fairy Ring
Watercolour / Graphite on glass · 8 × 10 in
Spring Fiddles
Charcoal / Watercolour on glass · 12 × 16 in
Celtic Song Birds
Charcoal / Watercolour on glass · 10 × 12 in
Fiddle Fern
Watercolour on Glass · 8 x 10 in
The Bear and the Butterfly
Charcoal / Watercolour on Glass · 16 x 24 in
Henry
Charcoal on Glass · 22 x 23 in
Jelly Floats
Watercolour on Glass · 6 x 8 in
Puffin Surf
Watercolour on Glass · 6 x 8 in
Rock-topus
Watercolour on Glass · 8 x 10 in
Lupin Frenzy
Watercolour on Glass · 8 x 10 in
Snow Swan Icicles
Watercolour on Glass · 8 x 10 in
The mark
One letter, reflected into two.
The name opens and closes the same — two B's. So the signature is a single B mirrored across its own axis, the two spines meeting to form one quiet line.
Seen straight on it settles into a figure-eight — fitting for an artist whose entire craft turns on reflection, and on reading an image from the far side of the glass.
Bonnie Bews
In the studio · Skir Dhu
The artist
From a Bavarian forest to the Cape Breton shore.
A sketch in a Munich piazza led to an apprenticeship with master glass painter Rudolf Schmid — and to a medium that never let go.
Bonnie Bews has painted on glass since 1992. It was during her studies at the Gläserne Scheune in the Bavarian forest, Germany, where her imagination took flight and fairies wandered into her work, they have stayed ever since. Her inspiration comes from the natural environment from where she lives.
In 2025 she traded Muskoka for Cape Breton Island. Salt air, morning walks along the north shore and the soft mossy forest floor are all finding their way into new work.
Her paintings have shown in galleries across Europe, England, New York and Ontario, many works are in private and corporate collections.
Queensville, ON · 1967Georgian College of Art, ON · 1986Gläserne Scheune, Bavaria · 1992Muskoka, ON · 1992–2024Cape Breton, NS · 2025 →
Visit the gallery
On the Cabot Trail, between sea and summit.
The Hinterglas Art Studio & Gallery sits on the North Shore — 40 minutes north of Baddeck, 20 south of Ingonish. Watch new work take shape among originals, prints, cards, illustrated books and fairy dust, alongside Jodie May Clay polymer-clay pieces. Ample parking, wheelchair accessible, and always a warm welcome.
Find us
43118 Cabot Trail Rd., Skir Dhu, Cape Breton · B0C 1H0
Season
Mid-June – October · Daily 9:30–4:30 (Fri 9:00–2:30)
Enquiries
bonniebews@gmail.com
The North Shore
Skir Dhu · Cabot Trail