Cathryn Shilling Figurative Sculptures

Only Hope Remains II' is a unique sculpture by the British artist, Cathryn Shilling. The phrase 'to open Pandora's box' has become synonymous with human downfall, the point of no re...

'Only Hope Remains I' is a unique sculpture by the British artist, Cathryn Shilling. The phrase 'to open Pandora's box' has become synonymous with human downfall, the point of no r...

'Hera' is a unique glass sculpture by the British artist Cathryn Shilling. The interior figure is free-blown glass which is wrapped in kiln-formed glass cane 'fabric' which is applied hot. With her Cloaked Collection, Shilling takes mythical tragic figures as her inspiration. Blown forms are wrapped in glass cane 'cloaks' which mimic cloth, following the contours of the form below. In the artist's own words; "Cloaked are large figurative pieces that are the culmination of the development of ideas and processes made over a long period of time. The process of slow, considered exploration of the material cold and rigid in the studio. The technical exploration of hot glass processes requiring quick judgements in order to create a form, drawn from observation. And the process of resolution, so by bringing these elements together, produces something that is greater than the sum of the parts. These pieces stand tall like a character in a play, conveying the essence of inevitable tragedy to be found in life, love, war and death". Cathryn Shilling began her arts career as a graphic designer but went on to study glass after moving to Connecticut with her family. On returning to the UK she studied kiln formed glass at Kensington and Chelsea College and blown glass with Peter Layton at the London Glassblowing Workshop. She set up studio in London in 2007 from where she has gone on to create a huge body and variety of work. Shilling experiments with colour and technique to produce beautiful one off sculptures. Her innovative pieces push the glass beyond our usual comfort zones. With some sculptures, glass rods are woven together like fabric, mimicking the flexibility and movement of cloth. The apparent frailty of the glass is balanced by the strong dynamic forms, differing levels of light picking out layers of colour. With other works, bubbles are trapped in swathes of watery hues. Her colour palette and choice of forms are very much informed by the various natural states in which water is found: icebergs, waterfalls and whirlpools for example. Shilling’s work has been collected and widely exhibited internationally including: Ireland Glass Biennale 2019 at Dublin Castle...

'Hephaestus' is a unique glass sculpture by the British artist Cathryn Shilling. The interior figure is free-blown glass which is wrapped in kiln-formed glass cane 'fabric' which is ...

'Ares' is a unique glass sculpture by the British artist Cathryn Shilling. The interior figure is free-blown glass which is wrapped in kiln-formed glass cane 'fabric' which is applie...

Odysseus, is a unique black glass sculpture by the British artist Cathryn Shilling. A handblown and free-form shaped glass sculpture with 'glass fabric' decoration worked onto the glass body while hot. A spectacular fusion of blown and kiln formed glass techniques incorporating Cathryn Shilling's signature woven glass. With her Cloaked Collection, Shilling takes mythical tragic figures as her inspiration. This piece is based on Odysseus. Cathryn Shilling began her arts career as a graphic designer but went on to study glass after moving to Connecticut with her family. On returning to the UK she studied kiln-formed glass at Kensington and Chelsea College and blown glass with Peter Layton at the London Glassblowing Workshop. She set up studio in London in 2007 from where she has gone on to create a huge body and variety of work. Shilling experiments with colour and technique to produce beautiful one off sculptures. Her innovative pieces push the glass beyond our usual comfort zones. With some sculptures, glass rods are woven together like fabric, mimicking the flexibility and movement of cloth. The apparent frailty of the glass is balanced by the strong dynamic forms, differing levels of light picking out layers of colour. With other works, bubbles are trapped in swathes of watery hues. Her colour palette and choice of forms are very much informed by the various natural states in which water is found: icebergs, waterfalls and whirlpools for example. Shilling’s work has been collected and widely exhibited internationally including: Ireland Glass Biennale 2019 at Dublin Castle The 3rd Session of China·Hejian Craft Glass Design & Creation Exhibition and Competition, Ming Shangde Glass Museum, Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, China 2019 TACTILE at Glazenhuis, Lommel, Belgium New Aquisitions 2017 at Glasmuseum Lette, Coesfield, Germany Peter Bremers...

'Orestes' is a unique glass sculpture by the British artist Cathryn Shilling. The interior figure is free-blown glass which is wrapped in kiln-formed glass cane 'fabric' which is app...

'Electra' is a unique glass sculpture by the British artist Cathryn Shilling. The interior figure is free-blown glass which is wrapped in kiln-formed glass cane 'fabric' which is app...