The Art of James Cockerill & Tamsin Abbott

James Cockerill founded Halt Glass, specialising in screen-printing and sandblasting mouth-blown antique glass using traditional paints, stains, and transparent vitreous enamels. James is committed to decarbonising his stained glass practice, demonstrating how environmental consciousness and technical excellence can work hand in hand. He has developed innovative processes that he enjoys sharing with students both here and abroad. Since the Discussion Day last November, he has installed a large-scale sandblasting facility and is keen to share the new techniques he has developed using his screen-printable sandblast stencils. In 2019 he was awarded the Stevens Award by the Worshipful Company of Glaziers, and in 2025 he designed an immersive architectural installation for The King’s Trust garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which was awarded a prestigious Gold Medal.

Tamsin Abbott has been creating stained glass panels from her timber-framed workshop in her Herefordshire garden for almost 25 years. Her work is inspired by the British countryside, not just its beauty and drama but also the invisible tapestry of myth and magic which is interwoven with the landscape. More recently her work has taken on a deepening sense of the sacred. She feels that glass is the perfect medium to capture this balance between the physical, mythical and spiritual realms. Tamsin delicately engraves, sgraffito-paints and freely paints her designs on carefully selected mouth-blown glass. She recently collaborated with Jackie Morris to create a book ‘Wild Folk’, vibrantly illustrated with a collection of her stained glass art. Her work is  held by The Museum of British Folklore and The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic. She has been featured on many podcasts, in many national magazines and on BBC’s Countryfile. Her work is collected globally.

Both artists were keynote speakers at our Discussion Day last November, and for those members who were unable to attend the in-person event, we are delighted to welcome them back for the online webinar.

The Zoom event is on Wednesday 29 April at 7pm GMT. Members pay only £4.25 (£5.00 full price). Join us for an insight into the art and creativity of two inspiring contemporary artists.