Clare has a background in textiles – specialising in carpet design for her B.A. – and began her career based in Kidderminster at the heart of the carpet industry. She now divides her time between designing for manufacturers and working as a fine artist.
She has always had a love of drawing and went on to study botanical illustration at Birmingham University, founding the Birmingham Society of Botanical Artists with fellow students. The discipline of observational drawing underlies and informs both her design work and painting and working from life studying natural forms – flowering plants, shells, fungi, insects – is an intrinsic part of her practice.
| “My paintings and drawings are a response to my surroundings and my place within them – the beautiful landscape of Devon where I live, and the natural objects that are precious to each place. I paint collections of shells, flowers, insects, fungi and look for rhythm and pattern with this detailed work and work on a larger scale. I love working in oils, experimenting with the marks, textures and powerful colour that the medium can create and also work in watercolour, devoting hours to a subject and using the smallest brushes.” |
Recent exhibitions include ‘Botanical Inspirations’ at RAMM, Exeter, SWAc Open at Exeter Castle, ‘The Power of Three’ at Artizan in Torquay, and ‘Tor to Shore’ at Birdwood House, Totnes. She has exhibited at open exhibitions at Harbour House in Kingsbridge, and as part of Torbay Guild of Artists at Torre Abbey. Clare has also exhibited recently at Powderham Castle as part of Devon Arts Festival and participated in Devon Open Studios at TAAG and Voyage in Teignmouth. Her botanical work was shown in the Society of Botanical Artists’ annual exhibition ‘Plantae’ last year at the Mall Galleries in London. To see or buy Clare Jenkinson’s artwork click here. Her work is also represented on Torbay arthub.