Tamsin Abbott Stained Glass Artist and Illustrator

From her Herefordshire based studio, Tamsin Abbott creates beautiful pieces of highly detailed stained glass with magical narratives.

Tamsin finds inspiration from many sources, her first degree in Medieval Literature, myths and legends of the British isles and the beauty of the natural landscape around her Herefordshire home. She is also inspired by the glass itself, a material with alchemical qualities and mystery of its own being neither a solid nor a liquid as we would normally understand it.

The majority of glass which Tamsin uses comes from the last remaining manufacturer of mouth-blown sheet glass in the UK, using intensive and highly skilled craft processes. The resulting colour blends and movement within the glass often inspiring the ‘story’ which Tamsin will illustrate upon it. The illustrations are created either through painting directly onto the glass or by using a scraper board technique whereby black glass paint, containing particles of powdered glass, is applied across the surface of the glass and then etched, or scraped into, before the piece is kiln fired. Thereafter comes the skilled and painstaking process of leading, soldering and cementing the glass into its final surround.  The results of these labour intensive techniques are remarkable and unique.

Tilley Printing and Martin Clark Master Printer

Martin Clark, Master Printer and proprietor of Tilley printing, oversees the printing of each of our letterpress posters. Printed in small batches, these posters have all of the quirks and inherent characteristics typical of letterpress, making each poster a unique and beautiful piece of work.

For anyone who has visited the Tilley Printing premises you will know what a special and unique place it is with a history stretching long before Martin took over ownership. Originally established in 1875, Tilley printing was one of many businesses run by the Tilley family. Luke Tilley was the archetypal entrepreneur whose business sense and hard work resulted in the family dominating many areas of trade in the thriving market town of Ledbury.

For the first half of the twentieth century Miss Leonie Tilley was the proprietor and instigator of some considerable modernisation of the premises including the introduction of electric power to replace the steam generator and in the 1930’s Tilley’s collection of type was expanded to hold many avant garde type faces of the day. During the middle of the century the Heidleberg Platens were introduced transforming the production of Letterpress printed material.

Martin’s personal history and involvement with Tilley’s began with his five year apprenticeship at the tender age of 15, later going on to achieve his status as a Master Printer. During his career, which has included some time working at the Oxford University Press, Martin has maintained the traditional skills and craftsmanship of the Letterpress Printer.

Tilley Printing may possibly claim to be unique in the fact it remains a ‘Jobbing Letterpress Printers’ still housed in it’s original premises since 1875.

You can read more about Martin and Tilley Printing on our blog here.