Claire Venne, Painter
Claire started painting at a very early age; she has always been a painter. Looking back, what is interesting in her early childhood work is her expressive use of colour. Today, it is still the intense use of colour that draws the attention of the viewer to the subject matter of her art.
Claire has always had a strong commitment to the visual arts and first studied film at McGill University, graduating with a BA in English and Communications in 1978. A variety of work experiences followed, including sales careers in the road transport industry and diamond transport for Brink's Security. This was, however, not what Claire aspired to and after five years of salaried work she decided that art could not be practiced seriously on a part-time basis. She therefore re-directed her life and enrolled in the Fine Arts program at Concordia University, specializing in painting, graduating in 1986 with a Bachelor of Fine Art. She is still member of an informal group that was formed during her time at Concordia. This group, “Art Vital”, meets regularly to allow members to show and discuss their recent work.
Since leaving Concordia, Claire has been painting full-time in her studio, producing a substantial oeuvre, and participating in a large number of shows and exhibitions. In her art one finds an energy and a sense of accomplishment and transition that parallels her personal life. During the last several years her compositional work has been about arches and aqueducts. Before that, for a number of years the main subject was the use of semi-abstract figures - androids - and before that she painted still-life fruit and vegetables. In turn, these were preceded by flowers. All along she also has been depicting fish in aquarium scenes. Overall, throughout these themes, her paintings are characteristically semi-abstract with a dynamic and energetic presentation of colour.
At the core of Claire's personal life one finds a deep love of movement and of nature. She is a part-time weight lifting instructor, and has been deeply involved in squash and the practice of Shotokan karate. For holidays she goes backpacking in the Rockies and sea-kayaking along the uninhabited north shore of the St. Lawrence. There is so much energy in both her work and play.
Where does Claire receive her inspiration? She cites Cézanne for ‘structural space and colour', Matisse for 'colour', and de Kooning for 'colour, oil technique, and the use of paint'. Colour is the common denominator. She also credits Canadian painters Emily Carr, M. Jean McEwen and Tom Hopkins as her mentors.
Claire's art work is displayed in galleries, homes, and offices throughout North America and Europe, as well as in China and Japan.
We gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Emile van Nispen to the composition of this page.