Neil Wilkin

Neil Wilkin (b.1959) started college in 1978 with an interest in pottery, but graduated with an honours degree in Glass Design in 1981. After college, he worked as a craftman in studios in Britain and Europe.

After moving around the West Country for a few years, he settled in the market town of Frome, where he established a studio. It was here that he made exclusive ranges for The Conran Shop, Emma Bridgewater, and Thomas Goode & Co.; the latter commissioned a two-metre high fountain from him in 1994, which was the focal point of their showroom.

Neil also collaborated with fellow glass artists, such as Clare Henshaw, David Prytherch, Peter Bremers, and Rachael Woodman, whom he has known since 1978, when they were undergraduates. They started the Wilkin & Woodman glass studio in the mid-1980s in Bath, Somerset, although this project was short-lived. They also worked together for a time at Dartington.

Neil’s own work takes inspiration from nature, with his pieces echoing seed heads, water droplets, and grasses. He is also known for his sculptural chandeliers and large-scale multimedia installations, and his work is held in public and private collections around the world.

Neil’s studio is now based in Cardigan in Wales.