One of my commissions was a life-size horse jumping a bank for equine artist Peter Curling.
In return, Peter used the same idea and gave me a huge painting of me on a big hunter jumping onto a bank. Racehorse trainer Willie Mullins saw Peter’s sculpture and commissioned me to do one of the great Florida Pearl.
I visited Willie’s yard every day and would change Florida Pearl’s rug, put him on the walker, then I’d stand with Willie and watch the horses. It was a fantastic experience. This commission was a leapfrog moment and from that I met Sir Graham Wylie, who had horses with Willie.
He asked me to do a life-size piece of triple Stayers’ Hurdle champion Inglis Drever in bronze wire, and it was possibly the best thing I’ve done so far.
RUPERT TILL
WIRE SCULPTOR
Hello! I’ve been working with wire for many years since leaving Art School in the 90s and since then I’ve had the opportunity to work with clients from all over the world.
Some of the collaborations I’ve been a part of have been truly exciting and it's always a joy to see the finished piece in the habitat it was meant to live in.
I also enjoy working with Architects and Landscape designers as their vision often includes my sculptures as part of their bigger picture and that can be fascinating.
My ultimate goal is to create pieces of art that are both beautiful and thought-provoking, and that contribute to the overall aesthetic of the space they occupy.
Article: Horse & Hound, June 2024
ALL IN A DAY'S WORK
Drawing is the backbone of what I do and I use my drawings to guide where I put the wire.
When I see something, I want to draw it, especially a beautiful horse in the show ring.Understanding movement is important, and I’ve spent a long time studying horse anatomy. When you understand movement,
you can understand balance and flow, and one of the greatest compliments I’ve had from someone is that my sculptures have souls and you can feel they have life.“One of the greatest compliments I’ve had is that my sculptures have souls and you can feel they have life”
My home is four miles from Cheltenham racecourse and I’ve been exhibiting there for 20 years.
I did a commission of a centaur for their Centaur building and it continued from there. It’s obviously lovely when you get a sale, but it’s just great to be able to support your local track and put a smile on someone’s face.
I’ve had different sculptures there each year and this year, I made a life-size horse with tack (pictured). I also have a fox sculpture at Punchestown, which was commissioned when I lived in Ireland in the mid-1990s. It remains there to this day.
Rupert Till on the chance stumble that ignited his sculpting medium, working with Willie Mullins’ superstars, and his priceless Shetland...
My father Patrick founded the Hunsley Beacon Beagles in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
I grew up hunting and some of my best memories were getting home from school to spend time with the puppies in the kennels and my first pony, a little bay called Pickles.
I studied at the Chelsea School of Art in London.
Once when I returned home to Yorkshire, I was riding my father’s horse when he tripped over an old pheasant pen. When I went back to clear it up, I realised the wire had stretched and that it would hold its form really well if you bend it in a certain way.
From there I started working with chicken wire and this evolved, and I now work with bronze, steel and copper wire.
THE PROCESS
For existing sculptures, please look at my Latest Work here.
For collaborations, contact me to discuss. I will send you some ideas and can visit if desired. Once the sculpture is complete, the installation process begins. Luckily I have experience with all this and will take care of everything!