ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Born in France, Claire Miquel studied Economy in the University of Bordeaux before studying art.


She first trained in watercolor and charcoal, and initially concentrated on figurative work.

However, these two media rapidly proved too limited for developing an aspect of upmost importance to her: texture.
From the quick-drying nature of acrylic she received new inspiration; the immediacy and spontaneity of this medium held huge potential.
It allowed her to create her own vocabulary and a universe where colors are intimately mixed with found objects: old notes, books, scraps of cloth, strings.. they now all find their way to the canvas.


She currently enjoys juxtaposing elements which may first appear totally unrelated but add a twist of humor.
She also likes to explore customising scanned images with computer software which then merge with her work.

Sculpture is another domain where she can explore matter in a broad range of shapes and forms ..from metal wires and earth to plaster and fencing.

In her work the classic perception of an everyday object is diverted in a multitude of ways; cans, tins or kitchen utensils can take on a completely new life in the form of hanging mobiles, lamps or even birds..

In addition she has a great interest in children's art, their capacity for abstraction and their highly imaginative power and she often uses descriptive devices from children's drawings.


She is largely inspired by previous expats in Asia, Africa, United States and the Middle East and many of her paintings hold echoes of these past experiences.