About
Claire’s paintings are process based, meaning that unless she is working to a specific brief or commission, she has no plans or ideas before she begins of how the final piece will look.
Her focus is on being fully present in the moment, switching off her critical thinking and allowing herself to be led by her intuition, responding to whatever impulse comes and whispers in her ear exactly what needs to happen next. As she adds a medley of vibrant colours and textures to her canvas using a broad range of mixed media, the work comes to life before her eyes, slowly revealing its direction and message. It is only in the very final stages that she allows her conscious mind to come to the party, finessing any obtrusive elements to bring the entire work to a harmonious resolution. Claire’s experience of creating a painting is one of surrender, play and connection to her deeper self, and the joy and uniqueness of her creative expression is apparent in everything she produces.
Values
Celebration
Crisp high fives. Little wins. Sequins at brunch. Big achievements. Corks popping. Daggy dancing. Birthday cake for breakfast. Unapologetic enthusiasm.
Genuineness
Express yourself. Make bad art. Practice radical self-love. Be-YOU-tiful. Make mistakes. Learn and grow. There’s space for all of us. You do you, boo.
Intuition
Find your flow. Get in the zone. Less head, more heart. Let your body—and your canvas—tell you what it needs. Tune in. Embrace the uncertainty. Trust your gut. Allow your soul to lead the way. You already know.
Optimism
Hopeful romantic. See the world through heart-shaped glasses. What if it all works out? The only thing you can control is your attitude. Kindness is key. When the world is already dark enough; choose to be the light.
Claire’s STORY
Creative from the beginning
Claire’s strong aesthetic sensibility and interest in pursuing her love of art and design have shone through her life since she was a kid. She vividly recalls being encouraged by her parents to attend tennis lessons, only to spend the duration of her coaching drawing pictures in the en-tout-cas with the tip of her racquet.
Throughout her youth, her parents supported her self-expression, with her crafty mother helping her execute many a creative vision, from the frilly lilac and baby-blue curtains in her childhood bedroom to the mermaid-inspired hand-drawn design of her Year 11 formal dress. At school, Claire participated in every possible artistic subject and extracurricular activity, both performance and fine art based. She even won a Lincraft award for the original design and execution of a sparkly velvet she-devil themed backpack.
After completing Year 12, Claire began a Contemporary Art degree to further develop her skills in Fine Art, Drama and Dance, but she felt limited by the curriculum and believed she would be better suited to a different environment. Her passion for the arts was relegated to recreational status for many years until she decided to return to university and complete a Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre) as a mature age student, graduating in 2017 and going on to appear in several professional and community theatre productions, as well as the Melbourne Fringe Festival and featured roles in numerous advertisements and television shows.
The lifechanging diagnosis of a brain tumour that required major surgery came two years later.
Claire permanently lost her hearing in one ear as well as one of her balance nerves, and she relocated from Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula to be cared for by her family as she recovered. It was during this rehabilitation period that her passion for the visual arts reignited. She first started handmaking pom-poms while confined to her bed, then as her recovery continued her interests broadened to include digital design, watercolour, crochet and craft, before settling back into her sweet spot, her love of painting, which is now her biggest priority and greatest pleasure.
While immersed in making her work, Claire is both creating beautiful art and generating positive emotions. Even on her worst days, when she picks up her brushes and starts to paint, she can feel her difficult feelings begin to shift, transforming from something dark and heavy into something refreshing, vibrant and inspiring.
These qualities are ever-present in her work, almost as if the energy remains present in the finished painting, beaming out to all who view it.
