The Glass Tapestry

Richard Tilbury

21 May – 5 June 2021

In his first solo exhibition, Richard Tilbury explores the use of glass almost as a textile, creating patchwork tapestries woven from “fabric” made of glass powders, which are then cut and fused in the kiln. The tapestries are abstract forms, interweaving colours and pattern rhythms; quilts of colour inspired by geology, landscapes, and organic forms.

Alongside the tapestries run “the borders,” depicting a panoply of fish and birds - messengers of the imagination, bringers of past-memories, and the carriers of dreams.

These images were heavily inspired by medieval and renaissance songs and folklore.

The Artist

Richard Tilbury has been working with glass for over ten years and is self-taught. Richard makes kiln-formed decorative glassware (a technique known also as "warm glass" or "glass fusing & slumping.") From his studio in Willesden, London, production is kept small-scale, each piece being unique.

Richard identifies as a maker; someone who spends time daydreaming how best to create the strange and wonderful things that pop into his head before making them real.

Richard works in IT but in a parallel life has studied Art History, specialising in renaissance Spain, and holds an MPhil in the subject. He has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions in London. This is his first solo exhibition.