Caroline Richards is a weaver with a passion for wool. Texture and handle are of paramount importance in her work, achieved through exploiting the design possibilities offered by the diverse character and versatility of British native wools.
Richards originally trained and worked as a paintings conservator. This experience refined her eye for colour and nurtured an interest in textiles and costume while working on historical portraits. After having to discontinue this work due to a solvent allergy, she re-trained in textile design and thus developed a fascination with wool and its processing.
As a hand-weaver, Richards employs traditional techniques and skills, including wet-finishing, and uses the freedom of the hand process to create one-off functional pieces. Her own dye blends, often based on observations of the natural world, are used to create visual appeal.
Her work is mainly for interiors, comprising bedcover/wall hangings and blankets, as well as upholstery cloth, but extends to woollen and worsted scarves and shawls.
