Matthew Richardson
Matthew’s distinctive illustration work has been widely used in book, newspaper and magazine publishing and design, television and advertising. He grew up in London where he studied at Middlesex University and Central St. Martins. Commissions have included animated children’s characters for Channel 4 and publicity for the V&A. Matthew has also worked on a re-branding of the works of the magic realist writer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez for Penguin Books, and provided inside illustrations for cult classic, The Meowmorphosis – a surreal take on Kafka’s ‘Metamophosis’ published by Quirk Books. He is a regular contributor to the Guardian and the New Yorker.
As an avid collector of curios and knick-knacks, Matthew can often been found rummaging around in charity shops and car boot sales for pictures and objects that populate his illustrations. His playful working process means that he is open to the unpredictable, seeking the fantastic in the everyday, and describes his work as “a mixture of the wonky and untamed – influenced by outsider art, folk art and scratchy children’s pictures – along with things that are crisp, minimal and well-balanced. My work occupies a middle ground somewhere in between”.
Matthew is currently working on ideas for animated films, as well as a collaborative book of fiction titled “The Safety of Objects”. He is also working on a personal book project, ‘Mysteries of all Nations’ which, he says “might just get finished next year”.
Matthew has taught at art colleges across the UK and is a frequent visiting lecturer. He was a guest speaker at Falmouth College of Art’s Forum, ‘The Untamed Tiger’. He has won several prizes for his work, most recently a V&A Illustration Awards for his illustration, ‘Phantom Space Storms’, published in New Scientist.
Clients
Victoria & Albert Museum
Google
Penguin
Channel 4
Adobe
The Guardian
Vodaphone
WPP
SAAB
Decca
The British Council
Condé Nast
Simon and Schuster
BBC
Natwest Bank
EMI
Sunday Herald
Volvo
Harper’s
Random House
Elle
London Sinfonietta
Quartet Books
World of Interiors
Harper Collins
The Times
The Royal Parks
New Statesman
The New Yorker
Clydesdale Bank
Links
