In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview Róisín Phelan, a contemporary embroidery and textile artist who has built her practice around punch needle.
Part 2 opens with practical punch needle wisdom (use the flat "wrong" side for detail, match your needle to your cloth, and keep the fabric taut), then gets into how she taught herself to embroider water and people, why she leans into a blocky, illustrative style rather than photorealism, and where her signature blue figures came from (it started with a single blue felt tip). We range across the books she rereads, music and comfort telly, an Irish Catholic upbringing and a love of mythology, the fun fact that she had a painting in the Tate before she could read, and a generous case for why craft is art and everyone can draw.
Links:
Instagram: roisin_art (https://www.instagram.com/roisin_art/)
Intro music is Heart & Soul by Roots and Recognition via Epidemic Sound (https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/3403dx) .
About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange (https://needl.exchange) | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews (https://bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews)
mrxstitch.com (https://www.mrxstitch.com) | xstitchmag.com (https://xstitchmag.com/)
