Clare Blois

See also www.clareblois.co.uk

Clare is the owner of Tore Art Gallery and is also an established artist, working from her studio within the gallery. She originally studied with the Open College of the Arts (Art and Design 1990, Textiles 1992, Painting 1996) before beginning to exhibit her work in Scottish galleries. In 2003 she won the prestigious JD Fergusson Arts Award, presented in memory of the Scottish Colourist painter.

Having lived for ten years in the Western Isles, the powerful island seascapes and skies of the Hebrides are enduring themes in Clare’s oil paintings, as are the gentler landscapes of the farm on the Black Isle, north of Inverness, where she now lives with her family . Annual visits to southern France or Spain provide even more opportunity for painting "en plein air" and a chance to use a different palette.

"In the tradition of many Scottish painters, I am inspired and driven by the physical qualities of oil paint, using it generously and energetically to create movement and texture in my work. The extraordinary landscapes and seascapes of the highlands provide a wealth of material for my painting. The ever-changing weather, the rotating seasons and the astonishing forces of nature are a constant influence. Over time my paintings have become more abstract, although still landscape based, and they reflect how I am influenced by my surroundings on that particular day. I am pleased when the viewer finds that the painting relates to their own experience in a different way - it is very exciting when a work of art takes on a life of its own, leaving the artist free and impatient to move on to another!”

Clare is willing to discuss commissions, which are always undertaken on a no obligation basis. Her exhibition history includes the following:

Eden Court, Inverness
Kilmorack Gallery, Beauly
2003 and 2004: Inverness City "Best Artist" Award (public vote)
2004: Fergusson Gallery, Perth, awarded solo exhibition
Highland Open Exhibition
Castle Gallery, Inverness
Affordable Art Fair, London
Glasgow Art Fair
Aberdeen Artists Exhibition
Edinburgh Contemporary Art Fair
Peacock Printers Gallery, Aberdeen
Aberfeldy Gallery
Milton Gallery, Banchory
Highlands Open Studios Exhibition (fine art prize)
Limetree Gallery, Fort William
Greens & Blues Gallery, North Berwick
Ealain Gallery, Stirling
Resipole Gallery, Archaracle
Nairn Book & Arts Fair
Solo Exhibition,”Drift”: Morven Gallery, Isle of Lewis
Jerdan Gallery, Crail
Morningside Gallery, Edinburgh
Iona Gallery, Oxfordshire
Joint Exhibition, Strathearn Gallery
Inverness Airport
Macgregor Fine Arts, Glasgow

Clare has contributed to numerous charity exhibitions including Art in Healthcare, Highland Hospice,
MacMillan, Marie Curie, Sick Kids etc. A selection of her work is normally available at Tore Art Gallery.

"Clare Blois is clearly in command of her medium and combines passion and technique in equal measure" (The Times)