A year and a half ago, Claire began searching for a way to incorporate wax, pastel, oil pencil and a new substrate of raw slate in ways that spoke to how she perceived her world. In time she developed the process and began explore the dichotomy between the delicacy of a moment and the permanence of it set in stone.
The textures and washes of color that come with each unique stone offer challenges and hidden rewards as she begins each piece. Rather than carving into the stone, forcing it to be what Claire would wish it to become, she’s found that searching for the images already present allows her a freedom not offered by other substrates. Claire’s previous body of work has been on 12 x 12 and 16 x 16 raw slate tiles however recently she acquired a new, larger format stone that will allow her to work on a much bigger scale. Paper thin and backed with fiberglass, this new natural stone skin offers a breathtaking 24 x 48 palette at a fraction of the weight. With this new flexible material, Claire has already begun incorporating multiple sheets to create large scale displays and is researching fabrication methods to create interactive public art installations.