Clare Millen

I am a Cambridge-based artist who loves working with painted colour and layered surfaces.  My themes are always nature-based, be it a vase of flowers, a much-visited garden or the memory of a walk taken through a favourite landscape. Over the years my work has evolved through my choice of medium - I began with plaster and dye, moved on to oil paint and I am currently enjoying the more immediate qualities of working with acrylics. For me painting is an immersive experience that allows me to explore colour and surface in an intuitive way. All my works are experiments as I have no tried and tested formula that I can rely upon. I encourage paint to misbehave through applying it in a variety of different ways to the surface. I then provoke it to move and mix with other colours independently, at which point unexpected effects  often happen that I will either exploit further or attempt to control. I know instinctively when a painting is finished. It's surface vibrates with energy and colours seem to collide and dance with each other in a way that I find mesmerising. The process of laying colour down in this chance way is thrilling but also exasperating at times. Many hours and many layers of paint can either fly or die in front of my eyes. I'm often defeated and have to walk away. However when a painting works it is magical and the feeling of euphoria I experience is indescribably pleasurable.​Past exhibitions include group shows at The Usher Gallery in Lincoln, Byard Art in Cambridge as well a solo exhibition at The British Council, New Delhi, India. I have been a member of Cambridge Open Studios for the last decade, showing at various venues, most recently the Kaetsu Gallery which is a part of the Japanese Cultural Centre Centre, Cambridge. ​​