Claire Burke’s unique artworks are an exploration into texture and material, characterised by the subtle use of gold and silver leaf. Claire’s sparsely colour-infused, meditative and meticulously arranged grids form an aesthetic dialogue which refers to both natural and manmade surfaces. In Claire’s work, the process (and the visibility of this process in the final product) is an important feature of the art. Her work uses traditional gilding techniques as part of a rich composition- layer is built upon layer and she explores the effect of changing texture across the boundaries between surfaces by manipulating the effect of materials as they combine. The overall result is one of subtlety and discretion, which has always been fundamental to Claire’s work. Her controlled development of these complex surfaces allows her to both reveal and hide the strata beneath.

 

These works of art are process-led, in that the artist has to react to the preceding surface in order to decide upon the next layer or development. This makes the pieces absolutely unique and to a certain extent unpredictable. Control over the works is mainly derived from choices about whether or not to retain or delete surfaces or textures, rather than deliberately pre-planning the final product.

 

The faded silver and gold surfaces of these artworks, along with their mottled, aged, peeling-paint effects are almost reminiscent of ancient palace walls or the beautiful, time-weathered fragments of beauty that one finds among the ruins of ancient civilisations.

 

After studying at Falmouth College of Art, Claire completed her BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Central St Martin’s. Since graduation, her work has received increasing recognition and has been exhibited with prestigious galleries such as Waterhouse & Dodd and the Cynthia Corbett Gallery in New York, as well as art fairs all over the world- Stockholm, Cannes, Singapore, New York, Hong Kong and Miami. Her works have also been purchased for numerous prestigious private and public collections. For example she recently produced a number of works for the Four Seasons Hotel in Rhiad and a 2m x 2m piece for the foyer of Kelinwort Benson.