Claire Halenbeck

Artist Statement

I make energetic, layered, and intuitive work to express my love and connection to the people in my life, the natural world and the lessons of nature. Making art is inextricably connected to daily walks, an integral part of my practice for more than 40 years. I hike the same trails hundreds of time and am still surprised daily by the light, views, fog patterns, plant life cycles, coyote, bird, deer, bobcat, fox, hare…..every detail of the environment. The natural world creates a calm inspiring wonder that has become as precious to me as the people I love.

A home studio in Marin County keeps me near the waters of San Francisco Bay, the rugged Northern California Coast and the foothills of Mt. Tamalpais…….my unending inspiration.

Biography

After graduating from design school and becoming a certified interior designer, Claire enjoyed a fulfilling 30+ year career as founder of a notable San Francisco Bay Area commercial design firm (RMA.studio). In 2020, she transferred her business to the next generation of partners and returned to her visual art roots, becoming a full time painter.

Claire studied with a number of internationally collected artists and focused on developing her studio practice. Most of her paintings find their roots in nature and include abstracted images from daily walks near the water, in the hills and from life on an old boat docked in Sausalito she shared with her husband.

As an emerging Bay Area artist, her piece, “Westerlies and Windy Seas” from the “Paint the Boat” series was honored as one of 60 works selected from a field of over 5,000 entries in an international juried exhibition (2023). She has had 2 solo shows (2024) in the SF Bay Area and participated in many juried exhibitions.

Art Medium(s)

Acrylic Paint, Watercolor, Pastel, Mixed Media