Jilly Edwards MSDC

Edwards practice is centred around drawing and tapestry weaving, spending her time researching, walking, drawing, writing poetry, and playing with other materials like making small handmade books, art and collage - all working towards creating a cartoon as preparation for starting a tapestry. Then the sampling begins prior to starting the long process of weaving a work, this is all about combining and drawing with yarns.

The aim is to capture her travels, surroundings, gardens, streets and area.

Then taking the sampling element in the drawings and just putting down the colours/textures with whatever materials are appropriate and available – recently ending up with a year’s worth of playful sketches, photographs and a nature table of ephemera – and her own space again – Edwards started weaving the drawings - pulling out the emotions into the weavings. making each small tapestry within a week, whilst working on a larger piece for an exhibition had been selected for previously.

Now with fifty two small woven tapestries that represent life from this time and the journals, as a collection, it shows the whole wave of emotions and makes for one large piece too.

Education

• 2003 UCA Farnham
• 1980-82 Edinburgh College of Art. Tapestry Dept. 1966-69 West of England College of Art. Bristol. Textiles

Exhibitions

2024

• Gather Gallery. Milsom Place, Bath
• Heallreaf 5, Morley Gallery, London.
• Kate Derum for small tapestries. Melbourne, Australia.
• 8 Holland Street, Bath, ‘Salone’
• 2 New Brewery Arts. Cirencester.’ Follow the Thread.’ Solo
• 2024 Wells Art Contemporary Open. Wells Cathedral
• Heallreaf 5. Weston Park. Shropshire. Award Heallreaf 5 Prize
• Five Walls Gallery, Melbourne, Australia.

2023

• Wells Art Contemporary Open
• Selected 2023 8 Holland Street, Bath

2022

• RWA Academician candidate Kenny Gallery, RWA, Bristol
• Heallreaf 4. Sedbergh, Chichester & Birmingham
• 8 Holland Street, Bath

2021/2019/2015/2013

• Kate Derum for small tapestries. Melbourne, Australia. Selected.
  
  

2021

• Gallery 57. Arundel
• 8 Holland Street, London & Bath

2021//19/18

• RWA Open 168 – 167 - 166.

2019 ‘Heallreaf3’ London & Nottingham

1972 - 2018

• NCCD. Sleaford, Lincolnshire. ‘Glimpses & Memories’.
• Solo William Morris Gallery. London. ‘Weaving New Worlds’. 16 International Tapestry Weavers.
• Ruthin Craft Centre. North Wales (Solo). ‘Joy’.
• Collect Open18. Crafts Council. Saatchi Gallery London.
• The Holburne Museum. Bath. ‘Here and Now’ on tour.
  Conference 2017 MAC. Birmingham ‘Here and Now’ on tour
• ‘Heallreaf 2’ The Brick Lane Gallery. London.
• West Dean, Nr, Chichester, Sussex 2016 NCCD.
• ‘Here & Now.’ International Tapestry. Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
• Touring 2015 New Member Makers. CAA. London
• ‘Heallreaf’, West Dean, Nr. Chichester. Sussex
• Collect. Project Space. Crafts Council. Saatchi Gallery. London.
• Touchstone. Rochdale, Lancs.
• Walford Mill. Dorset
• Harley Gallery, Welbeck, Nottinghamshire. (Solo) ‘Wanderlust’.
• 9thTriennial Gdynia. Poland. Selected and touring.
• ‘Ori Rhythm ll’, Kyoto Art Centre, Kyoto, Japan
• Cotehele House. NT. Cornwall.
• Blackwell House. Cumbria. ‘Woven from Nature’.
• Ruthin Craft Centre. North Wales. (Solo) ‘Reflections and Investigations’
• High Cross House. Dartington Hall. Devon.’ Sense of Place.
• Craft Study Centre. UCA Farnham. Surrey. Solo “Off the Wall”
• Solo and joint exhibitions in UK, Japan, Europe and Australia

Public Collections

• Newnham College, Cambridge Whitworth Art Gallery.
• Manchester Craft Study Centre.
• Farnham Hampshire County Museum Ove Arup.
• Newcastle upon Tyne National Trust, Cotehele

Awards

• 2024 Heallreaf 5 Award
• 2016 Arts Council England
• 2015 Gane Trust
• 2015 Heritage Craft Association. Highly Commended. Maker of the Year 2014 Arts Council England 2013 Kate Derum Award. Highly Commended 2013 Textile Society Professional Development Award.

Publications

• 2021 'Yellows & Pinks'.
• 2016 'Joy – Yellow is the new Blue'
• 2014 Crafts Magazine.
• Jan/Feb 2013 Wanderlust
• 2011 Reflections & Investigations.
• 2009 Sense of Place
• 2004 World of Textiles GB3. Telos Publication.
• 2001 Journeys and Journals.
• 2000 Portfolio Series no1. Jilly Edwards. Telos Publication