The complexity of Bettison's vase is the result of his multi-stage murrine (mosaic glass) process. After choosing colors of standard sheet glass from a palette that reflect the South Australian landscape of his home region, he fused these panels together in a kiln, cut the cooled layered glass into small pieces, and assembled them for a second fusing to create the murrine sheet. He then softened the panel by rolling it up on a collar of molten glass to make the final, highly patterned vessel form. He states that the graphic qualities of murrine glass initially drew him to the medium, and sees his explorations as ways to represent or understand the subtleties of his native landscape. Bettison graduated from the Glass Workshop at the Australian National University's School of Art in Canberra. He then built his own glass practice, first in Brooklyn, New York, and now in Maylands, South Australia.