She has been one of the subjects for New York artist Joseph Cavalieri during his current spell based at the at the creative glass centre in Lybster.

During his two-month residency at North Lands, he has been going around photographing well-known local characters before painting their portrait in stained glass.

One of his first models was Bunty Gunn, who as Bunty James achieved fame in the popular ITV programme How.

Mrs Gunn moved to live in Lybster in 1989 with her Caithness-born husband Iain, who helped found the creative glass centre.

Mr Cavalieri said yesterday: "Though I wasn't brought up seeing Bunty on TV, I can tell she was a striking woman. She still has quite a lot of spice, of course, in a beautifully elegant manner."

He has named her portrait, which has been created on three layers of painted stained glass, Saint Bunty.

"Most saints are from the past, but Bunty is very much in the now – she is a real awesome local personality," said the award-winning artist.

Bunty Gunn's image is captured on stained glass, with a TV motif marking her link to the children's television programme How.

Mrs Gunn has yet to see the finished work, though yesterday she balked at the title.

"I certainly don't like the sound of that – I think that will have to be changed," she said.

Mrs Gunn was intrigued by the technique which the artist has specialised in since 1997.

"It's fascinating," she said. "I just about learned more about glass in the two days watching him work than in the 10 years the centre has been going."

Other subjects for the artist have been Lybster butcher David Mackay and local shopkeepers Eileen and Eric Farquhar.

People will be able to see the work Mr Cavalieri has done during his residency at an exhibition being mounted at the centre's gallery on Friday, May 23, between 6.30pm and 8pm, and on May 25 and 26 between noon and 4pm.

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