Remembered Landscapes

Remembered Landscapes is a collection of paintings that I have been working on over the last few months. They are all inspired by the Australian Bush and the Upper Yarra area of Melbourne and include a mixed series of both abstract and more traditional landscape paintings, all with a typical Clair Bremner twist.

The exhibition will be on display from the 6th - 22nd of September at Established For Design in Malvern East. I am really proud of this series and I am looking forward to seeing the work on display surrounded by a beautifully curated collection of furniture and homewares.

You are invited to the exclusive opening event. Please join us for an evening of art and drinks to celebrate.

Thursday 6th September, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Established For Design
287 Wattletree Rd, Malvern East

[If you are interested in attending please click on the button below to RSVP for catering purposes ]

RSVP HERE

How to choose the right artwork for your space.

Original art can totally change the feeling of a room. A well placed artwork can pull together all the other furniture and elements in the room or make a statement all on its own. It’s a great way to add a bit of personality to a space, owning an original artwork is a special way of adding an individual touch to your home.   However it can also be hard to know exactly what kind of artwork is best for your space and making a descision can be hard.  

The main question I have clients ask me is what size artwork is best for their space.  If you are lucky enough to have a large wall then go as big as you can, or consider a group of two or more paintings that go together (a dyptytch or triptych) 

Generally speaking, hanging a large painting in a small room can actually make the room seem bigger.... which is the opposite to what you would think. People will often make the mistake of purchasing an artwork that is too small for the wall. Artworks will always look smaller once they are hanging, so if your budget can allow it I would always recommend going larger or waiting until you can afford a piece that is bigger. A large painting will create a focal point and add movement to the walls, especially if the subject of the painting is a landscape or inspired by nature.  

However, creating a gallery wall consisting of many smaller artworks can also work in any space as long as there is a cohesive look to the artworks (such as similar framing styles).  Gallery walls are great for people that don’t want to commit to just one artwork or they have many favorite artists and they want to be able to collect a little something from everyone. Purchasing smaller artworks can also be a little kinder on the pocket, as you can build and add to your collection over time. 

Dont be too concerned with matching your art with the existing room or decor. Add modern art into older style homes and traditional art into modern homes. The contrast of styles works every time. It is more important that you choose an artwork that creates an emotional response within you when you see it rather than choosing something just because it matches the sofa. If everything matches too perfectly, the art work will end up blending in rather than standing out as a statement.  

Choose and artwork that you love, your opinion is the only one that matters. If it makes you feel something special then buy it. If you love it enough it will naturally find a place in your home where it fits. 

Finally, If you seen an artwork that you love but it’s not quite the right size or colour, always approach the artist and ask if they are able to create a custom piece. Most artists are happy to create private commissions, and if they are not able to then they may have something else available in their studio already that fits your needs. 

If you have been thinking about purchasing one of my paintings but you’re not sure if the size is right or if it will work in the room, feel free to send me an email with some images of your space. I am answering questions like that all the time so I’m happy to help.  

Australian Natives

I have always loved Australian native flowers, the shapes and colors are so unique and strangely beautiful. I will always love painting landscapes but every now and then I get the urge to create floral paintings instead. I’ve been spending a lot of time working on a series of new landscapes for a solo show in September. I find that when I focus on one thing for too long I go a little crazy and I need to work with something totally different. 

Over the school holidays I started to play around with pen and Watercolour because I was at home and it’s all I had around. I created a collection of native inspired paintings which then spilled over onto canvas once I returned to the studio two weeks later. 

These florals on canvas are bursting with native goodness such as Proteas, paper Dasies, bottlebrush and flowering Tea Tree. They are all 76cmx76cm and you can view more details via my website here http://www.clairbremnerart.com/shop/

Faces

Small paintings

I have a few small paintings available on my website at the moment. They are 60cmx60cm acrylic on canvas.  

Yarra

Yarra is now open at Cambridge Studio Gallery in Collingwood until the 26th of March. The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday from 12-5pm. 

Here is an excerpt from the curator Susan: 

Not everything is always as it seems

Contemplative and reflective, Clair Brenner’s images are inspired by nature, bringing the outside in. She captures the essence of a landscape, stylizing it and making it her own. She employs colour, pattern and repetition to portray the layers of foliage and vegetation that can be seen within the landscape.

Her inspiration comes from the Upper Yarra river catchment area. The Yarra River is an icon of Melbourne, it winds its way through the city and is often described as disgusting, dirty and poisoned. However, Clair’s images tell us a different story. Travelling just over an hour out of Melbourne and into the Yarra Valley we find an entirely different picture. Here the river is clean, picturesque and beautiful.

“This is the Yarra that I see every day, a river that I want people to experience. It has a pristine, untouched beauty to it that is a total contrast to the polluted murky Yarra that we see closer to Melbourne.”

Clair’s work is a celebration of this unlikely aspect of the Yarra. She shines a light on a vibrant, verdant Yarra. Her images are surprising and beguiling. They remind us that not everything is always as it seems.

Feeling floral

I've spent the last few months working on lots of landscape inspired paintings for my exhibition. While I do love a good landscape, after a while doing the same thing gets a bit draining. So now that I've finished I've started playing around with some still life paintings instead. I wanted them to be quite loose and expressive and I wanted to work in some softer more pastel shades. 

Sometimes a slight subject change is all that's needed to inspire creativity again. I spent some time working out a limited colour scheme to begin with then I spent no more than 40min on each painting. The first was on a small canvas I had left over and the other two were on paper.  

These small studies will be added to my store in the original paintings section once I have a few more to add to the collection. I will be doing a few larger versions as well once I get through a few private commissions that I have lined up.  

Inspiration vs Painting

Here is a quick little peak into my process. The paintings for my upcoming exhibition were all directly inspired by the Yarra River. Some were sketched interpretations and others, such as this one below, were inspired by photographs.  

I never try to copy a landscape exactly, I always like to use my own interpretation which gives my paintings their imaginative and dreamlike quality. As you can see, although I was directly inspired by the photo, the finished painting has taken on a whole new feeling of its own. I tried to emphasis the feeling of the sun going down and the last warmth from the day hitting the riverbank to the right.   

Last Light (152cmx101cm Acrylic on Canvas) will be in display during my exhibition Yarra, which is being held at Cambridge Studio Gallery in Collingwood from the 8th to 26th of March. There will be opening drinks on the 12th of March from 2pm, it would be lovely to see you there. 

Studio snapshots

Here is a little peek into the studio and what I've been up to lately. If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff make sure you subscribe to my instagram account.  

I've started another piece for my new series. This will be in my show in March titled Yarra where I will be focusing on the local river scenes. 

I finished (and sold)  this pretty piece. 

I also completed this commission that was started before Christmas. I usually don't take that long to finish commissions but I have been away a fair bit these last few weeks.  

I have a big pile of canvases due to be delivered soon so it will be a busy few weeks. If you would like to pop into the studio to view anything in person then feel free to message me. I haven't forgotten about that Open Studio day either... it will happen soon!  

Store update | small original paintings

I have just updated my store with a series of five small original paintings on canvas. These pieces are only 45cmx45cm (18inx18in) and are the perfect size for a gift, as a feature in a gallery wall or to brighten up a corner of your home.  

They are all following a bit of a night time theme and feature abstract floral trees and a star filled sky. I painted several larger pieces like this a while ago and decided it would be fun to revisit the idea.  

You can find them all in the shop originals section of my website. The price includes express shipping within Australia and if you purchase before the 14th it should arrive well before Christmas. 

New Year. New Studio

I mentioned on here a few weeks ago that I was planing on moving out into a new studio space. Well the time has arrived. I picked up the keys to the new studio last Thursday and I've been slowly moving in over the last few days.  

I have been a full time professional artist for about three years now, however now that I have a "real studio" I actually feel like a real professional now. So silly but that's how my brain works. 

I'm really excited to see where this next year takes me and to see how having a studio outside of my home for the first time ever changes the way I work. I'm hoping that I will be a bit more productive during the week. I find it hard to not procrastinate doing other things when I'm at home, it's always much more tempting to just sit on the couch with my knitting and Netflix. Hopefully having official working hours and a place to go every day will make me more accountable and productive when I need to be.  

It will also be awesome to be able to welcome clients into my studio without having to lead them through my lounge room and messy kitchen first. I am happy for anyone to pop in and see me whenever I'm there (which will be quite often during the week and by appointment on weekends).  

After the Christmas and New Years break and once I have settled in I am planing on holding an official opening/open studio day. I'll let you know when that's happening via Facebook early in the year.  

Still Water | art commission, Clair Bremner

I recently completed another large scale commission for a client in Melbourne. This piece was inspired by a combination of two previous paintings that the client really loved. I'm really happy with the finished piece and I love working on this scale. 

The canvas is 2mx1m and makes a fantastic feature up on the wall.  

Still Water, 2mx1m Acrylic on Canvas, Clair Bremner

This is the second last commission that I'll be working on this year. I have one more to squeeze in over the next few weeks then I'll be taking a break from commissions for a few weeks while I focus on creating a new collection for a show in March.  

If you would like to talk to me about commissioning and original artwork for your home or business next year then send me a message via my contact page.  

Making a start | how to stop being scared of a blank canvas

Blank canvases are scary. Anyone that has stood in front of one will know this. The stress that you can feel sometimes is crazy. You worry about ruining that perfect white flat surface. You don't want to mess it up. What if you make a mistake? What a waste! 

Then you have to think about what you are actually going to paint. How do you decide? How do you pick one idea out of a million that are in your head?  

Its a struggle.  

The easiest way to get over this overwhelming fear is to just do it. Pick a colour (or three) and cover up all the white. Just slap it on. It doesn't matter how just cover it up.  

There you go... the white is gone. The canvas has been messed up and now it doesn't matter what you do next.  

Even now, after painting pretty much my whole life I still have that fear and anxiety when starting a new piece. Even when I know exactly what I need to do, I procrastinate starting because I worry that I will ruin it. But as soon as I cover the surface with paint the feeling disappears and I can focus on getting the work done.  

Pretty new commission

I have been working on another big commission over the last week that is now finished. This one was 2mx1.5m and inspired by the colours used in another painting of mine.  

Some paintings are easier than others but this one practically painted itself. Everything just came together naturally and it wasn't a struggle at all which made it a joy to paint and I think it shows through in the painting. 

If you are interested in commissioning an original artwork for your home I am now taking bookings for next year. You can contact me through my website to discuss prices and details.