Claire Kirkup Solo Exhibition

RSVP HERE

‘Go Somewhere feel something’ is inspired by Claire Kirkup’s commitment to travel and her desire to capture remembered landscapes; themes that have long been at the heart of the artist’s practice. While previous series draw from nostalgic childhood memories, this new body of work documents recent memories experienced during an overseas holiday with her family. The decision to travel abroad was motivated by her pledge to “remember the things we love to do, and to do them”, an intention that resonates strongly given the various iterations of lock downs and unexpected changes that have impacted our lives over the last few years. Claire states that:

“We travelled to the beautiful England and then Italy and France. Along the way I photographed and mentally stored all the interesting moments I could see as paintings.

These paintings were developed in my studio once we returned home… They echo sentiments of hot days, bodies of water, prestigious gardens, historic architecture, delicious meals, and unexpected events, good and bad, but most of all, they are a collective of works that serve as a structured visual diary of events. The thread between them is time and the exact representation of subjects is given way in favour of feeling”.

Claire describes the process that she undertakes when returning to her studio. Normally she will begin using a thin base layer, inspired by colours embodied within European landscapes. This may be neutral coloured stonework in Italy and France, or a bright colour painted on building walls and doors. Claire then builds on this composition by expressing the emotion or events that occurred during a specific memory.

“For instance, when I painted Lights Lights Lights, I had in mind the evening we went out and sat by the canal in the light of the buildings and the moon, and I had this sort of excitement in my fingertips because it was our first night in Venice and it was new and still and beautiful. It was dripping with refracted light on the water, so I wanted to capture that double image. This painting has a vibration to it which expresses that joy, however I painted this twice, as also wanted to show the simplicity and beauty of the moment, parallel to the excitement. So, I created the smaller work Night time on the canal. After I had completed both works, I felt satisfied that I had re-experienced and captured the event”.

The scale of the works reflects the significance of the memories. Claire explains that some moments require more gravitas than others. A few canvases also include fragments of text that correspond with things that she was thinking at the time.

“We had moments where we lost bags on boats, missed buses, had hospital emergencies, and then we had days that we did not expect to be brilliant, but just were. I’ve tried to show all of this in my paintings”.

‘Go somewhere feel something’ serves as a collection of experiences, encapsulating a mixture of landscape, figurative and botanical works that are reflective of Claire’s connection to travel.

Words by Gabrielle Bergman