Contemporary,
abstract artist.
Artist’s
Profile
Claire
began using art to express her feelings
and her view of the world at an early
age. She covered the walls of her
parent’s dairy with drawings using
charcoal from an open fire. She still
uses charcoal and many other mediums as
well as collage to explore line, shape
and texture in her pieces.
Claire
is a Brisbane resident married with a
son and a daughter. Her studies in Art
and extensive travel have given her an
eye for colour and texture which is
evident in her vibrant paintings.
Claire’s
love of painting and drawing persuaded
her to study art in high school, through
to a tertiary level, also majoring in
art at Teacher’s college.
In
recent years Claire has completed Studio
Level Classes at the Brisbane Institute
of Art
and Brisbane Artists Academé
and
attended Mc Greggor Summer Schools
through the University of the Southern
Downs. She regularly paints and exhibits
with a group of artists called Ten Plus
One. Her work has also been exhibited at
many public events and several galleries
around Brisbane.
She
is still teaching part time and enjoys
instilling the love and joy of painting
and drawing into her young pupils.
“I
am passionate about abstraction. The
works of Paul Klee for his luminous
colours and the composition and bold
colours of Kadinsky
and Matisse have had a strong
impact on my work. I use colour,
movement, contrast and texture to
express my feelings and to make visual
the essence of what is within. Fragments
of my personal life resonate in my
paintings – responses to my
recollections of journeys taken, places
visited, music listened to
and even a patchwork business I
once co-owned”.
For
the past 20 years Claire has travelled
extensively with her husband to Europe,
Africa, America, Canada and
most recently the Middle East.
Each journey leaves a lasting
impression which has pervaded her work
through colours, shapes, lines, washes
texture, layering and
brush marks.
Another
strong influence on Claire’s work is
her fascination with geology.
“I
love the effects of weathering, erosion
and geological upheaval visible in rock
formations.
I am always fascinated by the
myriad of colours found in stone and
these elements are to be found in many
of my works”.
Claire’s
colorful works are abstract in nature
and often open to many interpretations.
“I
am often surprised and amused by the
different subliminal images people see
in my work . I think this is the beauty
of abstraction. The art can consciously
be in touch with the subconscious while
stirring and inspiring our everyday
lives.
My
paintings always take me on a journey
that is both unanticipated and
delightful and I can only hope that my
art transports and strikes a chord with
my viewers as well”
Kadinsky
said, "Colour is the key. The eye
is the hammer. The soul is the piano
with its many chords. The artist is the
hand that, by touching this or that key,
sets the soul vibrating
automatically."
