JILLY EDWARDS: NATURE TABLE

8 Holland Street is delighted to present Jilly Edwards: Nature Table, an exhibition of 52 new handwoven tapestries alongside a selection of larger scale works, on view at the Bath Gallery from 25 June to 22 August.

This new exhibition brings together a body of work that emerged from a year-long period of chaos and renewal in Edwards’ life following a move and the refurbishment of her home and studio. Working from a makeshift space - a rickety garden table - the artist found herself responding closely to the world immediately around her.

As she explored her new surroundings, Jilly gathered leaves, flowers, fir cones, twigs, sweet wrappers and bottle tops. These weekly collections became the starting point for a series of drawings and paintings, recorded in small handmade sketchbooks. By the time she was able to move into to her new home, she had amassed a year’s worth of observations and studies.

Edwards returned to weaving through a simple discipline: creating one tapestry each week, matching the scale of the original drawings. What began as modest sampling strips gradually evolved into increasingly animated and expressive woven compositions. Together, the resulting 52 tapestries form Nature Table - a visual diary of observation, adaptation and creative rediscovery.

Following the completion of this series and several commissions, Edwards turned to a larger work, Cloud Hedges and Stones. Emerging from what she describes as a disorientating period, the piece carries a darker, more contemplative atmosphere. Yet, after closer inspection, you will see her usual vibrant colours.

The exhibition evolves from a rather dark period and gradually blossoms into softer colours reflecting Edwards’ enduring engagement with landscape, memory and place.

For Jilly, reflection is an essential part of making, each work requires its own space and time. Nature Table offers an intimate insight into this process, tracing a journey from uncertainty to renewal through drawing, weaving and sustained observation of the natural world.

Jilly Edwards is a contemporary tapestry artist based in Bath, UK. Drawing and painting are central to her practice, serving as the starting point for works that are later translated into tapestry. Through weaving, Edwards develops these studies into richly textured compositions that explore colour, memory and place.

Since establishing her reputation in the early 1970s, Edwards has become one of the leading figures in contemporary textile art, combining an acclaimed exhibiting career with a significant contribution to tapestry education.

“I have become intrigued by glimpses and moments, trying to capture the elements of my travels using abstracted elements that are influenced by the landscape, not literally but purely in the colour, texture, marks and memories.”

Her work has been exhibited widely, including at The Holburne Museum, and is held in the permanent collection of The Whitworth in Manchester and the V&A in London. Notable commissions include works for Newnham College. Over a career spanning more than five decades, Edwards has played a pivotal role in the development of contemporary British tapestry.