Tolly’s effective photography has led to large-scale commissions which she undertakes in her newly –renovated studio near Cambridge.
Within her photography, Tolly often uses the juxtaposition of B&W and Colour to enhance the viewer’s appreciation of single elements. In her ‘corner photography’ and in the use of different surfaces and inclusions she has been exploring the notion that photo’s can be viewed as physical objects. Light has become paramount in her work, on canvas where she reflects the colours on the back wall and within her photographs on acrylic where she achieves depth and intrigue with shadows and space.
Tolly has a degree in textiles which is evident in her ability to achieve balance and in her search for texture and detail within her natural subjects. Her enthusiasm for the natural world stems from her family background of nature-orientated passions whilst her wider appreciation cores from extensive foreign travel and taking part in wildlife research projects abroad. Tolly is constantly mesmerized by the sometimes overlooked details of nature which are a continual source of inspiration for her art.
Having worked under some of the most influential and eminent glass artists in Sweden and the U.S., this has fuelled Tolly's delight in the material itself. By using a combination of techniques she bases her work around the qualities in glass she appreciates the most – its vulnerability but also its solidity.
“Using methods such as Pate-de–verre I aim to extract and express the beauty of glass in its very fragile state, forming a ‘crust’ or an exoskeleton of what could be there - an artwork that has shed its skin and is left bare, exposed, raw and beautiful”
Within her degree Tolly won awards for innovation and originality. Now, her need to break down the boundaries between disciplines is even more evident – glass and weave, sculpture and photography, fine art and design.. By removing these constraints Tolly leads herself into unexplored territory and breaking new ground..
t: 01223 890385 e: Tolly@tollysark.com
Photographic w: www.tollysark.com
Glass website: www.thebowerhousegallery.com
