Journal

Steering away from some of the hullabaloo that goes along with living in a city like Los Angeles, Claire recently decided to move back to her hometown of Austin which has allowed her to indulge in yet another sense of relief. In this interview, focusing on Claire's most tried and tested practices, we find that Claire applies this notion of refinement to not only her work but also to her everyday.

Inspired by antique embroidery samples, Clare’s process begins with a sketch of a delicately threaded prayer or rhyme. From here, she pulls a section from her sketch to then paint, blowing it up onto a large canvas. Her well-lit studio looks over the apartment building’s shared gardens, it is here that Clare will work for hours, preferring to start early, in sync with the sunrise. In the centre of her studio, the canvas is laid over a table horizontally. Working over the canvas allows Clare to become completely absorbed into detailed sections of her painting, without seeing the full scale until some time later. This process she has created lends itself to what has become her signature painting style.

We visited Clare Grill at her home studio in Queens, New York, where we talked and ate croissants amongst her sketches, books and works-in-progress. Clare is full of contagious energy and laughter. Her cropped hair emphasises her warm eyes and honest smile, which feels like a lovely reflection of her soft and hazy coloured paintings hanging on the walls beside us. However, much like her paintings, there is a depth and melancholy to Clare, a serious side that can poach the mysterious and magical out from the sweetly feminine.

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Imagery by Nastassia Bruckin

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