Student Art: Camberwell's Claire Horton

Claire Horton
BA Candidate
Camberwell College of Arts/University of the Arts
London

Artist's Contact:

muhwahahaha@hotmail.com

Artist's Statement:

My recent work has focused around domestic scenes in intimate spaces; my paintings record the relationship between the figure and a space; between light and shadow; and the appearance of movement in the solidity of the frame.

This project began as a series of film stills recording the way two people, a couple, moved around a familiar space. We do not know how these figures came to be there, in the positions they are, but we get the sense that they may any second move out of the frame.

Light is an important factor. I am influenced a great deal by baroque art and 16th-century Dutch painting. What I love about this era of painting is the quality of light, usually entering from the far side of the room, from a window, which is not quite visible. The light appears like a flood of golden color, which forms the figures and objects in the room and leads the eye around the painting, changing the eyes direction with ominous geometric shapes.

To create this stark contrast of light and shadow, I begin painting the whole surface in fairly thick dark oil paint. I then cover a cloth in turpentine or paint stripper and rub away the paint were the light lands. Therefore I am subtracting paint rather than building up a surface.

This allows me to use my hands and fingers to create a scene instead of brushes, which I feel tend to hold me back a bit. What is also beneficial about this method is that it has to be done very quickly so that the paint is rubbed away before it becomes too sticky. This adds to that element of movement out of the frame.

Artists Exhibitions and Group Shows:

* July 2006: Artists on Display; Group exhibition and entertainment evening. Redgate Gallery, Brixton, London

* June 2006: On Second Thoughts; Second-year group exhibition. Camberwell College of Arts foyer gallery, London

* March 2006: Byam Shaw Show; Group exhibition/critique collaborating with students from Byam Shaw College. Byam Shaw college foyer gallery, London

* February 2006: Dont Call Me Cartwork; Group exhibition. Redgate Gallery, Brixton, London

* November 2005: OIM; Collaboration with !WOWOW! Art Group. Area 10, Peckham, London

* December 2004: Nude; Martins Gallery, Imperial Square, Cheltenham

About Camberwell College of Arts:

Camberwell is one of the world's foremost art and design institutions; it has welcomed students to South London for over a century, many of whom have stayed on in the area, making it a great place for artists to live and work.

In that time, the college has carved out a name for high-quality teaching by leading practitionersteaching that has put artists and designers on the road to international prominence and many others on the path to fulfillment in their chosen practice.

Students and visitors notice that Camberwell has a strong set of values: of equality and fairness, of respect and tolerance, a strong sense of place and connectedness with the world and a lively sense of enquiry and curiosity. It will open up new possibilities for its students so they can explore groundbreaking and adventurous ideas.