THOMAS HILL – MENAGERIE

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at the De Morgan Centre in Wandsworth from 23rd May until 30th July

Thomas Hill, whose wire sculptures of imaginary birds and fish have been exhibited in London and America, will be holding a selling exhibition of his work at the De Morgan Centre in Wandsworth, London from 23rd May until 30th July, 2007. William De Morgan, the Arts and Crafts potter, festooned his work with fantastic creatures and Thomas Hill shows the same jubilant affinity for animals in his own work. His show Menagerie will include sculptures of birds and fish made using mild steel wire. Prices range from £400-2,000.

Thomas Hill describes his visits to the centre: “My first impressions of William de Morgan's work were "colour and pattern”. The great thing about having this opportunity to respond to the pieces in the collection has been my discovery of the cast of characters in the work. The pieces go beyond decoration to describe both movement and personality, these being the two elements which interest me most in my own work.

My aim in recreating his pieces as wire drawings has been to strip away some of the decoration and to emphasise those qualities of liveliness and wit which I find so enjoyable.”

Thomas studied at Middlesex University and has been a full time artist since leaving in 1994, with the help of a Crafts Council grant. Tom makes pieces both for corporate, public and private commissions and has exhibited at Collect, Chelsea Crafts Fair,  Contemporary Applied Arts and Gallery Flow in London as well as galleries such as Craft Boston and Velvet Da Vinci in the States where he lives.

 

May 25, 2007