Claire Richards and I met at Convivo Tapas + Bar + Lounge early September. I had long awaited this interview. With a deep, curious anticipation, I managed to create a well-wrapped package of chaos. I did the unimaginable. I forgot my camera bag. As I sat at the parking lot - plotting my calendar and looking for dates we could meet again – I realized that my digital recorder was also missing in action. Duh, it’s in the camera bag. What a hell of a mess! And…yes, the list of misfortunes rolled on until she arrived.

The trial – evidently – was in moving forward. I was nervous. I was anxious. I was ecstatic to be meeting Claire. The run of bad luck seemed to smooth over as we greeted and entered the lounge. She was quite forgiving – naturally a very empathic individual. Although Claire and I had made acquaintance before, I wanted the opportunity to make a much more profound connection. Was I successful? Most certainly! The circumstances that showed up helped me make more than one connection with her.

Claire Richards is a very passionate individual and a pleasure to know personally. She’s been an  advocate of Pen Ya: Artiste Imaginarium (thank you, Claire) and unreservedly supports many Houston artists. And since I haven’t mentioned it yet, she’s one of my favorite ‘abstract’ artists to date.

 

Artiste Illuimination: Claire Richards

How do you classify your artwork?
I don’t really identify with a movement per se. I’m just doing what I want. Maybe it’s some of this and some of that. I would describe my current work as highly atmospheric. I don’t like the word abstract. That implies that it’s difficult to understand. I understand why people use the word but I just baulk inside when I hear it.  So many things can be abstract. “Ahhh!” What kind of work do you do? “I’m an abstract acrylic painter.”  “Yeah? No shit. Me too.”  I don’t know what else to call it.

(Roseanne: just make-up a word!)

We (in HAC) [sic: I was actually referring to studiomate Jason Ransom and myself-CR] made something up one time. It was like impressionistic expressionism or something.  All you have to do is add all the words people use and just make sure you got the ‘–istic’ or ‘-ism’ in the right place…and then it would be too many things for people to figure out.

 

What’s the earliest memory of your inclination to art?
I spent most of my childhood outside and alone in the piney woods up north. I climbed trees, built obstacle courses, painted my face with blackberries, built forts, and wrote stories. I remember one time I tried to make perfume by crushing flowers and was going to try to harvest honey suckle. Working with my hands and being creative has been an innate kind of necessity. The medium is whatever I have to work with.  I think my mother is the same.

 

Do you have a passion for any other art?
I love music. I got involved with music when I was really young – like 15 or so. I pretty much left home and hit the train for music. I did a DIY – do your own thing – epic record distribution label. I traveled around a lot – seeing music and being a part of it.

 

Do you have any formal training?
I didn't study art . I think that if I had gone to college immediately following high school, I probably wouldn’t have studied art then either. I received a good deal of medical training as a community health aide in Alaska. If I could redo those years and go to art school instead, would I? That’s a tough call and one that ultimately doesn’t matter because I can’t – big wheel in the sky and all.

 

What is your work experience in the art field, if any?
I have worked full-time as an artist for almost two years now. Prior to that, I was commissioned to do pieces here and there. I started out painting murals for friends and businesses in Austin years and years ago before I moved to Alaska. The cool thing about murals was having the freedom to do the work I wanted. I would paint strange figurative humanoid creatures. I also did a fair amount of work in this style
(referring to her style now). They would say, “There’s the wall, we trust you.”

 

Is there a particular individual(s) that influence(s) you? What is it that captured your attention about their work?
That’s a hard question to answer. There are many powerful artists whose work speaks to me but I can’t say that I am heavily influenced by any one artist over another. As a child I loved, Ul de Rico’s - The Rainbow Goblins. I stared at the images in that book until the book fell apart. I actually have it in the studio and it is completely disintegrating.

I have a strong appreciation for Diamanda Galas. I won’t say that she has influenced my actual artwork but she set up some extreme creative parameters as a woman with incredible talent. She wasn’t just talented though – she was brutal. I remember seeing her at a question and answer session at Diverse Works back in the 90′s. I saw her again when I flew from the Aleutians to New York to see her in her one and only U.S. performance. Both times her presence was commanding. She showed me from how far an artist can go. I also identified with her because she is female.

 

Every artist has a specific medium they favor – what is yours? Is there any other medium you are interested in exploring?
I love painting. I am not as attracted to other mediums right now. A couple of months ago, I thought I was going to nerd out on sculpture but it was not a good fit for the time. I’m a little too impatient. I don’t want to create ‘ghetto’ sculptures which I am completely capable of. “Oh, that’s not dry yet? That’s ok. Oh, that’s not adhered to the surface? That’s fine. We’ll just use spray foam or tape.” I use acrylic paint and might work with oils at some point. I work closely with an oil painter and I have seen both sides of the argument.

 

What kind of topics or subjects do you find yourself discovering in your art?
Different pieces have different content. I am drawn to concepts that touch me in some way. It can appeal to my empathy or frustration. I try not to literally just drop my pants for you in my work. I want people to look at my paintings for a long time and see something they hadn’t seen before. I rework areas to create ambiguity; atmosphere, mood, and energy. I make it so that there’s more to enjoy. I am constantly discovering new ways to go deeper.

 

What inspires you to create?
I am drawn to imagery or concepts that touch me in some way. My environment inspires me. Whether in writing, music, dance or painting- what I created was a direct effect of my environment.

 

Do you work based on a theme or stream of consciousness?
I don’t start off with a plan unless it’s a commissioned piece. There is always some definitive horizon point. Some people really like the Prom Vulture series and others say, That’s not good art” or “They are creepy”. If I had a dollar every time someone in Houston, TX thought that something was creepy, I’d be freakin’ loaded. I toy with the idea of doing seriously focused themed work but since I work full time
as an artist, I don’t have a lot of luxury to commit to painting the work I’d like to. If I could, I would go theme crazy.

 

Let’s talk about the creative process on this piece of art.

“Dorian”

It used to be called “Dorian’s Backyard” and then it became “The Haunting of Dorian”. There’s a story about Dorian Gray and this painting is in reference to him. I worked on this painting so many times and it never came together for me. It frustrated me because I was able to work on other pieces so quickly but no this one. I was overhauling this painting every time I worked on it from beginning to end – 12 hours a day. This painting has probably 100-200 paintings underneath – you can see how thick the paint is. The story about Dorian Gray is about excess. That’s how I felt about this painting. “You are my Dorian Gray – you won’t do anything for me.”

 

Do you have a favorite place to brainstorm? What’s that environment like?
I like to brain storm in my library – in my big leather chair – looking out the window onto the snowy ridge. As a mother of a 6 year old, I need all of my brainstorming skills for handling her. Painting is for letting the control go and making a place I can step into, a place that I could look at- as if out my window- forever. Painting itself is brainstorming for me.  

What is your vision regarding your work? Your hopes?
I’d like to continue to paint indefinitely. I have been so fortunate this past year because so many people have been supportive of my artwork. I enjoy working with clients and coming up with new ideas for work. I’m interested in more civic minded art ventures also but just don’t have a great deal of time to commit. I hope to learn more about myself, my materials, and my vision as time goes on. I don’t like to talk about my hopes. It’s a jinx.

 

The Pen Ya Project by Roseanne Peña

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