RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022

The International Year of Glass Garden at Chelsea came about through the vision and determination of curator and glass artist Gabrielle Argent. The stand represented artists including Layne Rowe, Lisa Pettibone, Anthony McCabe, Ian Godfrey, myself and Gabrielle herself.

Stained glass sculpture at the Chelsea Flower Show

The stand was overshadowed by trees and quite crowded, so my main glass sculpture, Sails, did not show as well as I had hoped, but every so often a shaft of sunlight created magic with it.

Shadows cast on the path

Stained glass artist in London
Sails from the back of the stand
Looking up
Close up from the back

Talking to Andy McConnel
Andy McConnell, the Antiques Roadshow glass expert visited us on Thursday

Emma Butler-Cole Aiken talking to Andy McConnel about stained glass sculpture
Talking to Andy McConnell about Sails

I described Sails as a stained glass window that has escaped and gone for a walk in the garden and that a two-dimensional medium has become three-dimensional. He got quite excited about that…

Searching, a group of three Vulturine Guineafowl I made of fused glass several years ago was also displayed.

Part of Searching next to Lisa Pettibone’s Silver Tongue
And reflected in it

I found the interaction between artworks interesting. There were a lot of pointy shapes that repeated and reflected.

Silver Tongue by Lisa Pettibone
Leaf sculptures and Allium Stakes by Gabrielle Argent
Gabrielle in front of Solas, created by Layne Rowe

Solas, a beautifully made pair of wings, showed very well against the backdrop of trees. One of the most common comments as the public approached the stand was, ‘Wow, is that made of glass?’

Layne explained how he made the feathers to anyone who was interested – and many were. Many also posed in front of the wings for an ‘angel photo’.

Glass feathers up close

One wing of Solas by Layne Rowe
One of Ian Godfrey’s pieces enhanced by Solas

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