Clare Garrad (She/her)
Sutton Coldfield
Artist Biography
An abstract artist, Clare completed an Art Foundation course before undertaking a Fashion Design degree in the early 2000’s. After a 10 year stint in London working in the fashion jewellery industry, she moved back to her home town and is now based in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. Clare’s love of painting never left her and she decided to leave her job to focus full time on art. Clare has had a solo exhibition, been part of group exhibitions and is represented by Seventh Circle Gallery. She is inspired by music and creates pieces starting with a mood or colour, then works intuitively through to completion.
About the artwork
Hearts wide open
Acrylic on canvas
For sale please contact Kristina for more information (info@kristinahall.co.uk)
This piece is inspired by the song ‘Paper thin’ by Lianne La Havas. From the opening notes of this song I can feel my body literally let go. Everything gives way and a beautiful melancholic inevitability takes over. It feels like La Havas is on a last chance saloon conversation in the lyrics ‘if you’re trying to lose, you’ll never win.’ From the first time I heard this track I had a deep visceral connection to the music and lyrics. The album came out nearly a year to the day that my dad died. At this point I still felt paper thin, vulnerable from the grief, lacking in confidence - finding a way creatively but still so closed off as to how I could make it happen ‘slipping in and out of such confidence and overwhelming doubt’.
There’s this sense of wanting to stay in the pain, of not allowing yourself to move forward and heal, and that did and still does deeply resonate with me.
The song feels deep but also has a transparency and space to it, the gentle beat and guitar just keep it beautifully grounded. It’s about letting go, being free and opening your heart to allow yourself to be loved by others and yourself.