Yanny Petters
The technique of Verre Églomisé (also known as Backpainting on glass, Reverse painting on glass, Hinterglasmalerei or Glomyized glass) involves painting on the back of glass using opaque colours and sometimes goldleaf. This means that the details and highlights of the painting must be applied first. Decorative mirrors are produced in a similar fashion, either by removing the silvering in the areas to be painted or in masking off the design before the glass is silvered.
In the past, the paint used by artists was a mixture of ground pigment, linseed oil and varnish. The colour range was very limited being mainly white, black, ochre, brick red, olive green, brown and gold. The colour was applied pure and flat, without mixing colours. Black or brown was used to outline the design and the rest of the colours were used to fill in the shapes.
Today, special paints in strong, lightfast colours have been developed for the signwriting trade. Yanny uses these paints when working on glass. Yanny also engraves the glass giving the artwork a soft line and sparkle.
A number of her ‘Glass Paintings’ are in the Wicklow Mountains National Park headquarters and in the Connemara National Park Visitors Centre. Yanny is a member of The Watercolour Society of Ireland, The Irish Society of Botanical Artists, The Verein für Botanische Kunst Deutschland (German Society of Botanical Art), Visual Artists Ireland, Dublin Painting and Sketching Club, Signal Arts Centre Society and Dublin Naturalists Field Club.
Yanny Petters is one of very few contemporary Irish artists to have work in the collections of both The National Gallery of Ireland and The National Museum of Ireland , two prestigious museums in Dublin.
Click here to watch a film featuring the history & technique of Verre Eglomisé and a demonstration by the artist.
"Come with me, I’ll show you something beautiful” / “Komm mit mir, Ich zeig' Dir ‘was Schönes", Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin
Yanny exhibits annually with the Dublin Painting and Sketching Club and the Watercolour Society of Ireland.
2025
'Out of Lines', Bloomsday / Summer group exhibition, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.
'Ireland's Wild Food Plants' (part of Botanical Art Worldwide 2025), National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, with the ISBA.
'Bounty', group show, United Arts Club, Dublin.
'Art Evolve 2025', contemporary art fair at the RDS, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.
2024
'Contrasts', winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.
'In Real Life', National Gallery of Ireland with the work 'The Plants We Played With'.
'Pink is my colour', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.
'Sanctuary', Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Centre.
Botanical & Floral Art in Bloom, Dublin.
2023
'The Wonderful World of Water Plants', Shirley Sherwood Gallery, Kew Gardens London.
'Climate and Health', Royal College of physicians of Ireland, Dublin.
'My favourite artwork at the Olivier Cornet Gallery, Olivier Cornet gallery, Dublin.
'Arbour Essences in Anthropocene Dublin', Olivier Cornet gallery, Dublin.
Sculpture in Context 2023, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin.
'Compendium', winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.
2022
Crainn na hÉireann/Ireland’s Native Trees, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin.
Botanical & Floral Art in Bloom, Dublin.
'Outrageous, Obscene and Offensive', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.
'2012 - 2022 A decade of exhibitions at the Olivier Cornet gallery', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.
Botanical & Floral Art in Bloom, Dublin
2021
'Memento, Looking back, Looking forward', Olivier Cornet Gallery Winter group show