An exhibition by Claire Western at INNSiDE hotel by Melia. Claire Western graduated from Margaret Street School of Art, Birmingham in with a degree in Fine Art. In recent years, Claire has found her painting practice to be rooted in the combination of music and the natural world.
Claire says “I explore and express the interplay of colours and emotions that I hope define my artistic voice. I am inspired by the lines, edges and colours that I see when I am out exploring as well as the experience along the way.
Music inspires a playfulness in my work; whether it’s serene sounds of ambient melodies or powerful rock beats, the emotional cadence of music shapes the compositions I create. I love to play with opacity and layer the colours, it is almost therapeutic watching this process.
The outcome has an ambiguity which is most intriguing. This is in complete contrast to the line work which is very purposeful, rigid and textured which I always add last, it grounds the work and gives it solidity and balance. The introduction of the more expressive brush strokes and smaller embellishments is a direct response to the music I listen to during the creative process.
This body of work titled ‘Echoes of Emotion’ is an abstract interpretation of the relationship between landscapes and music. I spend a lot of time outside walking. I am drawn to timeworn and eroded aspects of the outdoors, rock formations, potholes and rusty gates – all reveal a timeline of colours. The relationship between the thick textured line work and the flat sweeping areas of colour is crucial to creating a feeling of playfulness and ambiguity in my work. The landscapes I create never portray a recognisable place and this intentional as I want the viewer to experience their own moment of curiosity.”
First Floor, INNSiDE hotel by Melia, Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L3 9LQ
Exhibition continues until March 2025