April 14th 2023.
Renowned wildlife painter Claire Harkess RSW is set to unveil her new show, “Fine Feathers” at the Strathearn Gallery in Crieff, UK. This collection of works focuses on the animals that everyone can encounter in their daily lives: birds. Claire is entranced by their beauty and has captured their fleeting movements, melodic songs, and environments with her brushstrokes.
"It's the joy and challenge of each moment that keeps me returning to this world - there's always so much going on," Claire said. She has explored a variety of elements in her work, from a vibrant rose in July to a rowan tree where blackbirds await breakfast.
Claire's talent was recognized globally in 2017, when she won the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year award in London. Her use of different techniques, paper types, and compositions have been pivotal in her painting, and she combines heavy paper and boards with delicate Chinese paper for different effects. She builds up layers of paint and washes them down, making a stark contrast to her minimalist brushstrokes.
"Working in watercolour offers a directness and energy that suits the subject matter," Claire said. "The balance of pigment, water, paper, and brush is key. Sometimes a calligraphic brushstroke is enough to convey the dynamics of flight; others, it's the joy of unlimited paint pouring, uncontrolled and unpredictable, taking days to dry."
Claire also incorporates collage into her work, bringing together elements that cannot be expressed through paint alone. She enjoys combining painting segments, paper types, and printed script to create something unique. The exhibition is an opportunity to see Claire's passion for the medium come to life.
Renowned wildlife artist Claire Harkess RSW has a new solo exhibition, 'Fine Feathers' opening at the Strathearn Gallery in Crieff on the 22nd of April. This collection of works celebrates the birds and flora of the United Kingdom, which we are all lucky enough to encounter in our everyday lives.
Claire has a strong admiration for the bird world and captures the fleeting glimpses, fluttering and soaring wings and melodic birdsong that make up their habitats. She explains that “it's the joy and challenge of each moment that keeps me returning to this world – there’s always so much going on.”
Claire's work was recognized on an international level in 2017 when she won the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year award. Her use of different techniques, paper types, and compositions is pivotal in her painting and in this current collection, she combines heavy papers and boards with fragile transparent Chinese papers for different effects. Rich swathes of vibrant colours are created by building up and washing down layers and layers of paint - a stark contrast to the delicate, but powerful compositions with minimalist brushstrokes.
In addition, Claire incorporates collage in her work, bringing together disparate elements such as segments of her paintings, various paper types, and printed script. This adds a quality that cannot be expressed through paint alone and brings the art to life.
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