Claire’s paintings have an introspective quality; textural surfaces are juxtaposed with smooth planes and grazes in the surfaces, creating a spatial ambiguity and dynamic reminiscent of abstract expressionism and the ideas of Clement Greenberg. The work evades categorisation here however since, although Claire has a strong desire to control meaning, there is a deference to post structuralism and deconstruction in that the subject invites indeterminate interpretation.

There is an integrity within the mark making and a quality of line attained by a measured, controlled approach, marks are excavated from the existing paint surface rather than being superimposed upon it. An attention to the quality and detail of surface achieved by the repeated application and removal of many layers of paint results in much of the content of the work being the visible evidence of the process itself. The work ‘becomes’ which references itself, it opens and closes space.

The square holds a mythical symbolism within the history of modern painting; it is also a rejection of the precise definition of the aesthetic as described by the Fibbonacci Series or the Golden Section. Each work deliberately relates mathematically to the square, informed by the work of Robert Ryman and Josef Albers among others - exploring the tensions created within via the demarcation of the space.

This self-referential structure is a tool with which the artist limits the breadth of content within the work, aspiring to a specific aesthetic experience.

Claire aims further to constrain interpretation by maintaining a severely selective palette, essentially monochromatic and either positive or negative, colour is restricted to hues relating to the materials with which the work is constructed i.e. the wood and linen, the work again referencing itself. The intention is to control the potentially decorative, distracting aspect of colour, to emphasise the subject of the work.

This becomes more apparent upon closer examination, conspiring to direct the audience towards a state of contemplation. An enigmatic sense of presence is evoked that gives rise to a meditative quality, a serenity and tranquillity, in dissonance with a sense of disturbance of the surface plane of the painting and the internal space of the viewer.

Each canvas is constructed by the Claire - a very fine grade of linen is stretched over the hand made wooden frame. This is then primed with rabbit skin glue and oil primer taking approximately 10 days to produce. She uses only the most superior quality of paint and a variety of traditional materials that date back to the Dutch masters. Claire goes to these unusual lengths to ensure the longevity of the canvas.