Claire McNamara

Artist biography

In my great No-one life, I have found a great Something.

My work seeks to share the great Somethings I have discovered. Searching for the Somethings in my life and in my relationships, I can dissect what is represented by my findings, and what that means to me on an intimate level. Through this meditation, my art becomes interconnected to my feelings - and so begins the tug of war between wanting to protect my Somethings and wanting to share them with the world.

By showcasing the malleability of the mind, I blend familial imagery, past experiences, and synesthesic associations to create a cohesive image. My practice takes place in a dance between masculine and feminine, and presents an intimate view into my psyche. The ebbs and flows of my compositions reflect the way memories in my mind sway and become abstracted over time, where seemingly important remain more concrete and everything else fades into each other. The work dances on the line of not quite abstract yet not quite recognizable, so I find comfort in identifying my work as non-linear. The use of thinned oil paint plays with empty space to suggest the work that could always be returned to and conceptually flirts with the fluidity and blurring of the memories intwined with each work. I paint to capture pure feeling. Things that cannot be spoken, but fluently expressed in paint. I belong to my paintings and they belong to me.

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