Clare Bell
Clare Bell has been making art for many years. Her work reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society. Always observing her surroundings, Clare develops a series of paintings that are inspired by what is taking place, from a change in season or political events to broken shells strewn across the sand. These intricate images express internal and external realities, revealing how deeply one affects the other.
Background
Born in Melbourne, Clare was privileged to be introduced to the arts, travel and nature by her parents, and these things have continued to sustain her. She enjoys moving to new places and responding to unexpected opportunities.
Bell graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1971 and worked as an actor and later a prop maker and scriptwriter in theatre, TV and film.
On a trip to Indonesia in 1975, she learnt both contemporary and traditional batik making in Jogjakarta. Back in Melbourne, Bell was encouraged by the artist Mirka Mora and so began her art-making practice which, amidst the ever-changing flow of life, she has continued ever since.
To earn a living, Clare worked mostly in the arts until she moved to the Yarra Valley in 1986, where she became seriously involved in aged care. In 2015, a move to King Island proved rejuvenating.
Exhibitions and collections
Clare has had a number of exhibitions in Victoria and on King Island, Tasmania. Her work is in private collections in Australia and overseas.
Gouache on BFK Rives, 280gsm
16.3cm x 19.5cm
Framed
A small, intimate gouache: a dense thicket of fine blue marks fills the sheet. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
Gouache, watercolour and graphite on cartridge paper
29cm x 42cm
Unframed
Fine lines in red, orange, blue and green loop and tangle across the sheet. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
Watercolour on Art Spectrum, 210gsm
16.3cm x 19.5cm
Framed
A small, intimate watercolour: a dense thicket of fine brown marks fills the sheet. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
Gouache on BFK Rives, 280gsm
51cm x 51cm
Cloud-like forms of detailed natural fragments in deep cobalt blue are scattered across the white sheet. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
Gouache on BFK Rives, 280gsm
51cm x 51cm
Framed
A dense, organic cluster of marks in olive, umber and soft brown gathers at the centre of the sheet. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
Graphite and ink on cartridge paper
29cm x 42cm
Unframed
A tree-like form spreads its branches above a tangle of fine roots, drawn in graphite and ink. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
Gouache and graphite on cartridge paper
29cm x 42cm
Unframed
A single dark rock form, built from dense graphite and gouache marks, sits alone on the page. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
Gouache and graphite on Art Spectrum Colourfix Smooth
28cm x 38cm
Framed
A dense tangle of fine blue-grey lines captures the cold stillness of an early winter morning at Macedon. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
Watercolour and gouache on Stonehenge, 250gsm
25.4cm x 56.5cm
Interlocking forms in deep blue, black and warm ochre fill the narrow sheet – the third of three works made at Macedon. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
seeking inspiration 1, 2 and 3 are available as a triptych.
Watercolour and gouache on Stonehenge, 250gsm
25.4cm x 56.5cm
Stacked forms touched with blue and ochre climb the tall sheet – the second of three works made at Macedon. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
seeking inspiration 1, 2 and 3 are available as a triptych.
Watercolour and gouache on Stonehenge, 250gsm
25.4cm x 56.5cm
A vertical column of stacked forms in blue, umber and ochre rises up the sheet, drawn from Bell’s time at Macedon. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
seeking inspiration 1, 2 and 3 are available as a triptych.
Gouache on Fabriano Rosapina, 280gsm
50.5cm x 50.5cm
Unframed
Worked in fine, layered strokes of teal and deep blue gouache, the horsemen from the northwest scatters dense, plant-like forms across an open white sheet – some tightly knotted, others trailing tendrils and branches. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
Cotton thread on linen
13.5cm x 9cm
Framed
Lines of brightly coloured cotton thread are worked across dark linen, translating a Macedon winter into stitch. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.
Gouache, watercolour and graphite on BFK Rives, 280gsm
56.5cm x 56.5cm
Framed
Thousands of small marks in blue, teal and turquoise build into a shimmering, all-over field. Bell's practice reflects the relationship between nature, emotions, culture and society.