Obituary: Nancy Sutcliffe (1957-2025)

It is with great sadness we report the loss of exceptional glass engraver Nancy Sutcliffe, who passed away on 23 September 2025 following a short battle with blood cancer.

Nancy started her creative career with a degree in scientific and medical illustration. Having worked for a medical publisher and Charing Cross Hospital in London, she moved to rural Herefordshire in the 1990s. This was where her passion for glass work began, initially with sandblasting and then with drill engraving, giving her the great precision for which she became known.

She pushed the boundaries of engraved and gilded glass, combining stone wheel and diamond engraving with water gilding, silvering, tarnishing, painting, mirroring and embossing. She often enhanced her fine pieces with precious metals, saying, “I couldn’t resist a bit of gold leaf.”

Nancy’s abilities have been recognised internationally, at galleries and museums across Europe, Japan and the US. She was a frequent exhibitor in Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) exhibitions, as well as winning Best in Show at the International Festival of Glass in Stourbridge in 2024, plus many other awards.

She was also a renowned and generous teacher, sharing her knowledge through residencies and demonstrations in the UK and farther afield, at Bild-Werk Frauenau in Germany, the Boda Glass Factory in Sweden and at the Studio at Corning Museum of Glass in New York.

CGS will greatly miss Nancy, her incredible work, her fantastic sense of humour and the support she has given us over the years.

Nancy’s husband Dennis has set up a JustGiving page to raise funds for Cancer Research UK in Nancy’s memory. He is planning to donate notable pieces of her work to glass museums and similar venues so people can see what is possible and be inspired. So far, he has confirmed that her piece ‘Geode’ is going to Stourbridge Glass Museum and the Studio at Corning Museum of Glass in the US with take ‘Moths’.

In her family’s words, “We’ll all have our Nancys. She was a brilliant engraver with a very specific style, impishly witty, technically curious, aesthetically driven. She was funny and stylish and bright. She was a really good friend, considerate and caring and good company.”

To donate to Cancer Research UK in memory of Nancy, please visit the JustGiving  page here.

Main image: This rhinoceros shows the painstaking precision of Nancy Sutcliffe’s distinctive engraved glass work.