Victoria Rose Richards

I am a 27-year old autistic embroidery artist based in Devon, where I am surrounded by endless fields and meadows, lush forests, winding rivers and reaching moorland – constant inspiration for my work. Over the past seven years I have specialised in embroidered landscapes, particularly aerial views, using a combination of threads and stitch types on felt sheet to create both imagined and real places.

I am particularly inspired by the shapes that both naturally form in the land and are made to form by people, and by the way they slot together. Although I initially looked only to the local Devon landscape, my work has expanded to places across the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia as well as my home country. I also love the feelings of nostalgia that the forms and colours of the countryside can evoke. How many people have fond memories of visiting the countryside as a child?  In these idealised scenes, I try to express a nostalgia that is both comforting and bittersweet, bringing back rose-tinted memories of simpler days past.

I am a self-taught embroiderer and began my journey in late 2018 while in my final year studying Biological Sciences at the University of Exeter. After graduating in 2019, I focused increasingly on embroidery while looking for work in an ecological field. As I struggled to find accessible jobs (being limited by my autism), my art gradually became my full-time career. Rather than apply for formal residencies or courses, I have chosen to explore the world of embroidery on my own terms.

My work has been exhibited in group exhibitions including Small is Beautiful and Parallax Art Fair in London, Concrete Candy in Byron Bay, Australia in 2022, and the Venice International Art Fair’s Future Landscapes exhibition in 2024. More recently, I have focused on private commissions.

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