Tim Cunliffe has been a practising glass artist and sculptor for over 30 years. After a degree in sculpture at Canterbury College of Art (1980-83), he gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Stained Glass from Central Saint Martins, London (1988-90), where he was also awarded the Caroline Swash Stained Glass Fellowship (1990-91).

Cunliffe creates stained glass for both domestic and public spaces, working with architects, interior designers, and project managers. He also produces unique fine art pieces in glass, combining it with other materials such as wood. His sculptural work includes reliefs in clay and plaster as well as art medals that are editioned in bronze. The British Museum acquired one of his art medals for their collections in 2002.

Animal imagery has always been central to Cunliffe’s work, with inspiration coming especially from ancient and medieval periods. He says that for him, ‘art from these cultures embodied not just the observed physical form, but the inner or archetypal animal and this is what I strive to evoke in my own work’. The light transmitting properties of glass along with the graphic element of the lead lines provides another source of inspiration when designing and making.

Throughout his career Cunliffe has carried out many commissions in glass and taken part in numerous exhibitions of his glass and sculpture both in the UK and Europe. He has exhibited as a member of New London Glass since 2001. A recent stained glass commission was for a front cover of Shortlist magazine in 2018.

Cunliffe combines his practice with teaching stained glass in adult education. He has also run workshops in the V&A Museum and worked with local community groups to create installations at the British Museum. He has been based in Wandsworth since 2005.