Claire Sparkes RI SGFA studied a Fine Art Degree at the Liverpool Sir John Moores University, and a Masters Degree in Fine Art Painting at the University for Creative Arts in Canterbury, Kent. She has exhibited regularly in London, other UK cities, and abroad in both group and solo exhibitions. Claire was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours in 2019, and is also a member of the Society of Graphic Fine Art.
Claire’s paintings primarily focus on people whilst also encompassing still life, interiors and landscape. At times her work crosses these boundaries interrelating and layering elements. This leads to the weaving of narratives that draw upon connections through time and place, as well as between cultures, individuals and mythologies.
Claire’s painting ‘Beach Bouquet in a Fish Vase with Plastic Soup’ compositionally takes its inspiration from seventeenth and eighteenth century Dutch Flower Painting. The ‘flowers', ‘insects' and ceramics featured within the composition are all imbued with symbolism, reminding us of the transitory nature of existence.
However, whilst capturing the delicacy and elegance of a bouquet, this painting also speaks of the terrible environmental crisis of plastic pollution. This is one of a series of recent paintings she has made concerning this issue, and in particular Claire focusses upon ocean plastic pollution. Living on the South East coast of England, she regularly walks & enjoys the local beach. Most of the plastic used to create this series of paintings, was found, & collected during Claire's coastal walks, having washed up on the same beach. In litter-picking to try to help preserve the beautiful coastal environment, Claire also then creates her paintings to highlight and increase awareness of this pressing problem.