British textile artist Richard McVetis describes his art as “a mediation on time and space.” He has exhibited internationally and hand embroiders in a monochrome palette  “The process of embroidery, slow, methodical, restores a sense of order and informs a more profound comprehension and connection to the world.”

Firstly where are you based and where do you work?

I live and work in London, and I work from both my home and a studio. My studio is a thirty-minute walk, it’s a nice start and end to the day. I’m currently based at Cockpit Arts in Holborn, which is London’s leading studio for contemporary makers and an award-winning social enterprise.

I don’t limit myself to just working in the studio, and my process means that’s I can pretty much work anywhere, sometimes my most productive time is at home, at night.

What is your background in textiles?

I studied Embroidery at Manchester Metropolitan University and then Constructed Textiles at The Royal College of Art (2008). 

What is it that appeals to you about textiles?

Embroidery and art have enabled me to make sense of the world, and it has helped me to put into material form, things that I could only imagine. The process of embroidery, slow, methodical, restores a sense of order and informs a more profound comprehension and connection to the world. There is a wonderful intimacy in this labour-intensive way of making; the ritual and repetition allow you to create space, both physical and mental.

How do you describe your work? 

A mediation on time and space. My process is labour-intensive, using hand embroidery I records time through multiples of dots, lines, and crosses. Meticulously drawn and stitched, my work reflects a preoccupation with the repetitive nature of a process. I explore the subtle differences that emerge through ritualistic and habitual making, and the similarities between pen on paper and thread on fabric. 

Can you talk through the process of creating a piece?

This depends on the sort of project that I’m working on. If it’s a large, long term work, then I’ll plan the work in detail, calculate dimensions and think about how I might present the work. In parallel to these larger works, I will play with materials, draw and mark make with stitch, take photographs and make maquettes, these may inform works at a later date or they may just exist on their own.  

The process of creation a work also starts with inspiration. Inspiration takes many forms: a memory, an artist, the urban environment, the process of making itself, as well as something I might imagine. I read a lot and I’m drawn to the ideas of time and physics discussed in Carlo Rovelli’s books. I take great joy and solace in the work of Agnes Martin, Rachael Whiteread, Edmund De Waal, and I’m currently very seriously obsessed with Vija Celmins and Berenice Abbott.

I know it’s a hard question but roughly how long does one piece take?

Actually, I have quite a clear idea of how long each piece takes. Many of the works have the premise of being created during a predetermined or durational period. My first series of cubes ‘Units of Time’ was in response to this idea of quantifying my time in material form. I keep very detail diaries of stitching activities, timings vary from 10hrs to 160hrs. My work ‘Variations of A Stitched Cube’ took over 2000hrs to complete. 

Your portfolio is very cohesive. How long did it take you to find your style?

My signature aesthetic developed during my Embroidery degree; however, I would say it was already there in other forms. I draw in the same way that I stitch, I was very much influenced by technical drawing and rending styles in books such as ‘Rendering with Pen and Ink’ from the late 70’s. I love colour, but really my intent is to use limited vocabulary of mark-making and deliberately subdued colour to create a binary simplicity. I’m looking, editing, reducing something to is bare minimum. I want to simplify.

How has your work evolved over time?

I would say that my process hasn’t changed that much, but the ideas have, I’m becoming more confident in the communicating the subtle sensibility in which I observe the world. 

Can you give any advice to aspiring textile artists?

Read about art, go see art, make art, play with materials, learn to look, take notice, don’t imitate, and work, work, work!

What are you most proud of in your career so far? 

I’m proud that I can make being an artist my career.

Are there any exciting plans ahead?

At some point I’m having my first solo show at The Crafts Study Centre, currently postponed because of you know what. 

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