Claire Painting

I'm interested in how strong light sources affect the appearance of human subjects and water, and work mainly with a chiaroscuro technique. I paint in the traditional style of the great masters of the Renaissance, drawing upon my classical academic art training. Oil paint lets me apply thin layers that let light and color show through. I begin with the same method that Cennino Cennini writes about in his fourteenth-century handbook Il Libro dell’Arte: I tone the canvas with a thin layer of paint, and allow colors to slowly build up on top, creating the illusion of light and depth. This method is used both in my seascapes and figures.