Pembrokeshire-based artist, Audrey Walker, became the first textile artist ever to be awarded the Sotheby's Prize earlier this month.

The award came at the end of an international craft fair at the Victoria and Albert Museum, organised by the Arts Council of England. Audrey's work featured among 128 exhibitors, spread over the museum's three galleries.

Sotheby's is one of the patrons of the Victoria and Albert. During the exhibition they selected four pieces out of the artworks on show to buy and then donate to the museum.

Out of the thousands of pieces on exhibit, Audrey's embroidery, Lot's Wife, was one of the chosen four. The embroidery depicts Lot's wife slowly turning into a pillar of salt.

"The piece came from remembering the story in the Bible about Lot's wife who turned back to look," said 78-year-old Audrey. She was probably looking back in regret or wistfulness, but that was forbidden and she was turned into salt."

Audrey, whose work has taken on a more figurative theme as her career has progressed, said that she is inspired by passing moments, glances and encounters as well as narrative themes.

"I like to be telling a story in some way," she said. " I am interested in the human figure and encounters. Lot's Wife depicts a moment of just looking back."

"It sort of delighted me that it was chosen by Sotheby's," said the artist. "It is a very quiet piece. It doesn't jump out at you from the walls shouting 'buy me'. The judges must have spent some time looking closely at it."

"I'm terribly pleased. I knew that the curator at the Victoria and Albert was interested in it, but big museums like the V&A have hardly any funds to buy contemporary pieces. It's delighted me, It's very gratifying."

Audrey was born in West Cumberland and studied at Edinburgh College of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art. She was head of the Embroidery and Textiles department at Goldsmith's college for 13 years before retiring to Pembrokeshire's Dinas Cross.

She trained as a painter and started making embroideries ten years later. She became interested in textiles while teaching in one of London's large comprehensive schools.

"Some of the kids did wonderful things with textiles," she explained. "It opened my eyes and I realised that painting doesn't have to be the way in to art.

"Then I accidentally saw an exhibition of textile collage. It stopped me in my tracks. I thought 'that's amazing'. I just started making collage and then I got hooked. I love it, I love making surfaces with threads and fibres."

The artist looks a good decade less than her 78 years and says her career has kept her young.

"You are always trying for the next better thing" She said. "Always hoping the next one will be better. It keeps you going."