Clare Blois
Framed 33 x 33 cm
I live in Beauly and have a studio at Inverness Creative Academy (WASPS). I discovered
painting after a number of previous careers, and have won several accolades including the JD Fergusson Arts Award. I have been an invited artist at the Discerning Eye Exhibition in London, and in 2022 reached the final shortlist for the inaugural Highland Art Prize, awarded in conjunction with the National Mod. I ran my own successful gallery for many years and exhibited widely in Scotland and beyond. Now, whilst not exactly retiring, I am increasingly concentrating on developments in my work. In the tradition of many Scottish artists I am inspired by the physical qualities of oil paint and the possibilities it provides in terms of colour, movement and texture, and previously my work has focused largely on landscape. Recently I have been choosing other subjects and experimenting with new painting "languages". I am also developing paintings which are inspired by the colours of music and poetry. I work fast and instinctively. My objective is for honesty in my work, making paintings that convey the exhilaration I feel in doing them.