Clearly this fine artist in demand
Green light now to go with flow
THIS is one thing Nuflow Technologies founder Ed Ahern has no problems leaking out.
The Gold Coast company’s patented pipe relining system – called Blueline – has been granted Watermark certification by the Australian Building Codes Board.
Watermark is a national scheme for plumbing and drainage products to ensure they are fit for use in plumbing and drainage installations.
Mr Ahern, who established the pipe repair manufacturer in 2004, said he hopes the approval leads to greater acceptance by the marketplace..
“In the past when we tried to sell the Blueline product, councils could refuse because it didn’t have Watermark approval,” he said.
“Now it can be used anywhere in Australia and New Zealand.”
The Blueline technology joins Nuflow’s Redline product, designed for drinking water pipes, in achieving the Watermark standard.
Mr Ahern said the certification process for Blueline has taken more than three years.
Nuflow Technologies has more than 50 franchisees across Australia and New Zealand. It also has operations in Hong Kong, India, Thailand and Singapore. THE woman who once was told she “should be four-wheel driving” rather than working with glass has crafted her career working with the medium.
Lisa de Boer has been a glass artist her entire life.
From the age of 19 she began working with glass, two years later teaching leadlighting and then sharing her skills for 15 years before launching her own successful business.
“I have always loved it as a medium,” she said. “To me, there is no such thing as a bad piece of glass art.”
Lisa spent 20 years working from garages at her homes in Worongary and Southport, choosing the houses for the “great garages not the house”.
After sending the electricity bill skyrocketing, she bought a factory in Molendinar.
Glass Xpressions has run from the space for 12 years.
Specialty glass firm Voodoo Glass, which manufactures wine cellars, was added to support the core operation.
Lisa works with designers, architects and builders to custom design unique pieces, marketing around Australia and internationally for the commercial and residential market.
The firm’s designs can now be found in high-end premises in London and New York, commercial properties from the Australian Taxation Office to a doctor’s surgery on the Gold Coast and upmarket homes at Sovereign Islands.
Three years ago the passionate artist launched a long-held dream – adding a gallery to showcase her own and fellow artists’ striking works.
Downstairs remains a dedicated workspace. Upstairs is a wonderland of inspirational artworks and one-off pieces, from a giant clock mechanism to slumped wall partitions and coastal-inspired sculptures, all created in glass.
Lisa’s husband, former lifeguard Darren Caesar, handles marketing. Nephew and glass artist Shaun McIntosh and artist and graphic designer Georgina Sepa are now part of the business. Glass Xpressions has expanded to eight staff, from master mould makers to administrative employees, allowing Lisa to devote more time to her art.
While her hard work allowed her to “create a business, not be a broke artist”, she loves that her art now sustains the business.
“My clients continually inspire me,” Lisa said.
“I love designing for clients when they want to step outside the square. And I still try everything at home first.
“I do art on the shower at home, I’ve never had to clean grout. My house is a gallery of glass art.”
Devoted to where she lives, Lisa is determined to remove any perception of the Gold Coast as lacking an artistic heart.
She has just launched VIP nights for select clients, showcasing works from the Glass Xpressions gallery and its artists and featuring the best in high-end vehicles, music, food and wine.
“I am sick of people saying to me the Gold Coast has no culture,” she said.
“I have lived all around the world and I would never live anywhere else. There are so many amazing artists here who deserve recognition.”