Claire Murthy: ‘Nature’s Tales’
24th November to 25th January 2016
Open evening 23rd November 7-9pm
Through a passion for and understanding of animals, the artist’s detailed artwork captures not only a realistic interpretation of the animals that she paints, but also, it seems, their souls.
Claire Murthy is a pastel and pencil artist who paints animals – pets and wildlife – and enjoys the study as part of the painting process.
Much of Claire’s childhood was spent outdoors; she was fascinated with the small creatures she found and went on to have the full range of fluffy pets too.
She spent many days around horses and ponies; fortunate in having her own, she progressed to show-jumping and joined The Horse Rangers Association, where she found the opportunity to handle forty magnificent beasts daily in the mists and rays of the historic Bushy Park.
Claire’s love of animals extended beyond the equestrian to wild animals and nature. This, together with an interest in photography, led her to discover wildlife, not only in England and Scotland, but further afield in Africa, America and Asia. This naturally progressed her interest from looking to understanding and studying the animals in detail.
Claire has learnt formal methods of traditional signwork, letter formation and heraldry, along with gaining knowledge of paint techniques and traditional gold leaf gilding – whilst developing a keen eye for painting animals. But signwork was a world apart from fine art…
In the last few years, Claire has found herself to be immersed in detailed studies of animal portraits – wild and domestic – and has continued to spend her time photographing animals and picking up knowledge of art appreciation and nature. Through each painting, she works to reveal the essence of an animal’s soul, to enable a conversation with the painting.
Since having disengaged from the London commute and work travels, she has had the opportunity to pursue art.
“In my wildlife paintings, I strive to capture the essence of a wild animal as much as its physical resemblance – in fact, I often find that the process of painting an animal helps me to understand it better, whereby I feel I have got to know it!”
Claire is an artist with a passion for and understanding of animals and enjoyment in art, plus patience and determination, evident in her detailed artwork, which captures not only the realistic representation of the animals that she paints, but also, it seems, their souls. www.clairemurthy.blogspot.co.uk.