OUR STORY

Claire Edwards is a multi award-winning hand embroiderer whose practice interrogates and extends the boundaries of traditional embroidery within a contemporary context. Grounded in hand stitch and beadwork, her work explores material contrast and conceptual tension through the integration of unconventional materials including concrete, resin, shells and found objects. By embedding embroidery within surfaces that are traditionally perceived as rigid, industrial or resistant, her practice challenges established hierarchies between craft, fine art and materiality.

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Edwards leads an intentionally unconventional creative life, living, travelling and producing work from a motorhome. This nomadic mode of practice disrupts the fixed notion of the studio and allows place, movement and impermanence to inform both process and outcome. Landscape, environment and material discovery become active collaborators within the work, shaping its form and narrative.

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She was educated at the University of Staffordshire, graduating in 2017 with a First Class BA (Hons) in Textile Surfaces, followed by a Master of Arts in Contemporary Embroidery. Alongside her professional practice, Edwards worked as a Lecturer in Surface Pattern and Textile Design at Staffordshire University, contributing to the development of emerging practitioners through teaching and mentoring. She has received numerous awards for her work and has been featured on television, in print publications and online blogs. Her practice positions embroidery as a resilient, concept-driven medium capable of operating beyond its traditional confines while retaining the intimacy and discipline of hand stitch.