Richard McVetis

Embroiderer

©Yanis Angel

©Yeshen Venema

Talking concepts through hand embroidery

Richard loves drawing and rendering through embroidery stitches
He works with basic wool and cotton thread, keeping to a monochromatic palette
He made a film of the making process of his work Variations of a Stitch Cube which was shown at a film festival in the UK

Richard McVetis earned a degree in embroidery at Manchester Metropolitan University and a postgraduate degree in constructed textiles at the Royal College of Art, where he now teaches. “My aim was to be an artist, and hand embroidery became my language,” says Richard. His pivotal work in 2017, Variations of a Stitch Cube, challenged the traditional perception of embroidery as a decorative craft, asserting it instead as a medium for conceptual exploration. “I stitched the first cube for one hour, with each subsequent cube adding an hour to the overall duration. Hand-stitching felt meditative, yet I was acutely aware of the passage of time. By the time it had reached 60 hours, it felt like an eternity,” he shares. The piece was funded by Arts Council England, shortlisted for the Loewe Craft Prize, and was exhibited at the British Pavilion in South Korea, bringing him validation and visibility in his field.

Interview

©Benjamin McMahon

©Yeshen Venema

Can you describe your artistic journey?: My journey has been one of slowness, patience, and perseverance, just like hand embroidery. After my Master’s, I spent years balancing a day job and devoting all my spare time to developing my practice. I have always known that craftsmanship is a marathon, not a sprint.
What informs the aesthetic of your works?: I am drawn to the simplicity and texture of wool and black cotton thread, which I see as similar to drawing with black pen on paper. Monochrome lets me focus on form, light, and texture, creating quiet works that resonate with my themes of time and process. In overstimulating London, the restraint in my work is my calm space.
What advice would you give aspiring artists?: Developing your authentic voice demands a certain slowness. You need to try different things. There are so many barriers to finding your way – cultural, racial, economic. Be patient, embrace the process, and resist the urge to compare yourself to others.
How are you expanding your current practice?: My new work, though not involving hand embroidery, explores the same idea of repetition by generating patterns using Shoben fashion tape. At 1.5m by 2.5m, these monumental pieces demonstrate my love of space and the potential of textiles to be architectural, creating visual intrigue within space.

Richard McVetis is a master artisan: he began his career in 2002 and he started teaching in 2010