A little bit about me
I live near Redruth in Cornwall with my husband Sean, having spent the majority of my life working in very sensible, structured, formal, corporate environments but always loved being creative but lacked the confidence to ever fully consider it as a career.
As I approached my 50’s I felt that I’d not reached my true creative potential self, nor was I happy, satisfied or content in my “sensible” work and following a few not so subtle life pushes in 2024 I decided to focus on a new creative direction that I had been using for my mental wellbeing and that was acrylic fluid painting.
My love for this technique started after I’d seen a stunning painting displayed in a galley window in Taunton (unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the artist nor the galley), the cost for the piece was way beyond anything I could afford so I started to research the technique used in the painting and stumbled across many various videos of “Dutch Pour” and “Fluid Art” using acrylic paints. I bought some cheap canvases and acrylic paint and off I went. Like most aspiring artists my first attempts were not all successful (muddy colours, scraped cavasses, wasted paint, the odd moth perishing on drying canvases etc.) but I absolutely fell in love with the technique and style of painting and was addicted immediately. I also realised that painting was massively beneficially to my mental health as whilst creating my artwork all of my attention was on the piece I was working on rather than my usual stresses about “work”. Some of my first pieces are actually my favourites, and are still hung up around our home, they are a reminder of my journey.
I truly love the “uncontrolled” free nature of my paintings as unlike “traditional painting” the technique means that you are not 100 percent sure what it will turn out like, therefore making each piece as unique as a fingerprint, this is in stark contrast to my previous work where rigid planning to ensure total “compliance” and “quality control” was essential. In fact, I think that’s why I’m so passionate about this energetic, contrasting style, it’s the complete opposite of everything I’ve ever done before.
Life is short and precious, I hope that at least one of my pieces brings a little smile to your face and you love them as much (or even a fraction) as I have in creating them and you can “Immerse yourself in vibrant, dynamic colours and unique flowing forms”
Claire Stephen