Harrod Horticultural Pop-Up Shop: Claire Ninham Q&A

We are excited to be welcoming Claire Ninham as the second artist to collaborate with us in our Pop-Up Shop on the King's Road, Chelsea. Claire draws and paints from her home studio in North Yorkshire, UK, where she is inspired by the natural world in her immediate surroundings. Working in harmony with the seasons, she strives to capture the essence of her subjects. These range from the minute to the expansive. A leaf skeleton is as intriguing as a summer breeze.

We can't wait to work with Claire and the shop will be a great place to showcase her beautiful artwork. We caught up with Claire to find out more about her influences and her creative process...

Q: Your art often reflects the natural world around you. How do the changing seasons influence your creative process and the themes you explore?

A: I live in rural North Yorkshire and am especially sensitive to light and life cycles – the subtleties of growth and decay. I find it difficult to work on paintings ‘out of season’ so will often put them aside until the following year. Recently I have had to complete work for upcoming exhibitions so recalled the conditions using prompts such as photographs and birdsong recordings. I always have sketchbooks to hand where I make weather notes and swatches matching petal and leaf colours.

Botanical art taught me how important drawing plants from life is – photographs rarely provide accurate colours or sufficient detail. As a gardener, I am additionally aware of seasonal change.

I am increasingly inspired by sound in the natural world. Birdsong and susurration, expressed with colour and brushstrokes, have filtered into my work.

My favourite months are May, when nature is greenest and September, when colours are washing out of summer.

'Airing the House with Birdsong' - Oil on canvas

Q: 'Canal Walks' - Can you share the story behind this series and what these walks mean to you personally?

A: The Leeds-Liverpool canal is on my doorstep and for seven years I have walked in alternate directions most days, whatever the weather. My partner is chronically ill and unable to join me. I return with descriptions and photographs of what I have seen.
I walk quickly but try to focus on the sights and sounds, pausing often to take notes and images. I don’t tend to sketch in public – it is a solitary, private practice.

The long format of my ‘Canal Walks’ was initially inspired by Ivon Hitchens’ ‘Winter Walks’. Many of his landscapes appear expansive but were based on small patches of land close to his home. I don’t consider myself a landscape painter and avoid horizon lines, preferring to create close-up views and hopefully an immersive feeling.

'By the Bridge' - Oil on paper

Q: Having studied illustration and printmaking, how have these disciplines shaped your current artistic style and approach?

A: For my degree show, I created a body of work informed by poetry. I now write my own short-form poetry. Some of my recent paintings have an accompanying poem. ‘Airing the House with Birdsong’, which will be on show at the pop-up, has a published haiku hand-written on the reverse. In the future, I hope to produce a book of my paintings with haiku, based on the Japanese tradition of ‘Haiga’.

Printmaking tends to involve multiple, methodical processes and specialist equipment. I enjoyed the immediacy of black and white lino, printing by hand, where I focused on fluid lines and simplified textures. I now regularly practise line drawing. On the other hand, my oil paintings are built up of many thin layers of mainly single pigment transparent hues using a limited palette – an approach I learnt using watercolour for botanical illustration.

At art college, someone once joked that I had a ‘mini compost heap’ on my desk as I collected plants to draw at various stages of decay. Seed heads and plants that ‘die beautifully’ are now extremely popular subjects in botanical art and garden design. I have drawn skeleton holly leaves while looking through a microscope and hope to develop this idea.

'Japanese Flower Burst' - Oil on canvas

Q: Your work often captures the essence of Yorkshire's landscapes. How does living in North Yorkshire inspire your art, and are there specific locales that particularly influence your pieces?

A: As I said, I wouldn’t describe myself as a ‘landscape painter’ but I can’t help but be affected by the beautiful North Yorkshire landscape. I tend to be drawn to detail and closer views of nature. My ‘Yorkshire Textures’ work focuses on our drystone walls, moors and meadows. Winterburn is a picturesque hamlet which inspired my predominately buttercup yellow meadow painting.

A mixed-media collage series I made using charcoal powder, oil paint, cold wax, paper palettes and magazine clippings was inspired by a visit to Malham. This is a popular tourist destination nearby. The monochromatic base layers echo the textures of the Cove and surrounding limestone pavement’s clints and grykes. Three of these will be available to buy at the pop-up.

'Aerial' - Mixed-media collage on paper

Q: What does success as an artist look like to you, both creatively and professionally?

A: I think it’s difficult to distinguish success in terms of artistic satisfaction and material gain. I hope to be regarded as an artist with integrity, to continue creating work that is meaningful to me but also connects with others. I dislike repetition and am always exploring new ways of capturing the essence of the subjects that interest me.

My dream is to live in an even more rural area, establishing a plant-filled garden where I can continue drawing from life and paint on a larger scale. I love wildlife, prairie, Japanese and designer gardens but artists’ gardens are my favourite.

'Echinacea Crowd' - Oil on canvas

Q. What excites you most about collaborating with Harrod Horticultural for the King’s Road pop-up?

A: An avid viewer of the Chelsea Flower Show, I am always fascinated by the designers and personalities behind it. This opportunity to combine my two great interests – art and horticulture within a stylish contemporary environment is fantastic.

Having completed an RHS qualification in Horticulture, I then studied garden design at RHS Harlow Carr. I feel my approach to the creative process mirrors that of Harrod. My work is meticulously planned, and I endeavour to source and use the best materials available – my brushes for example are handmade by a local company five miles away. My aim is to maintain the tradition of oil painting, whilst innovating new methods to express my personal vision.

Collaborating with Harrod Horticultural, which has taken part in the Chelsea Flower Show for 20 years, is a wonderful opportunity and great personal achievement, so thank you!

'Wind-Blown Prayers' - Oil on canvas

Q. Where do you hope to exhibit your work in the future, and how can people stay updated on your artistic journey?

A: I would like to continue to show my work in the local galleries that have supported me and promoted my work. Further afield, to participate in exhibitions or events such as yours in London and elsewhere with a connection to horticulture would be amazing. I grew up in Scotland and lived in Edinburgh. I’d love to exhibit again in the capital. A Japanese gallery would be wonderful, with my love of Japanese gardens, prints, poetry and most recent interest, Ikebana. I’ve had my haiku published in the newspaper Asahi Shimbun so have already made a connection with the country!

Claire's work can be viewed on her website www.claireninham.com where it is grouped by media in themed collections. There is also an Exhibitions Page showing past exhibitions and on the Home page, current and upcoming exhibitions are listed.

Claire also regularly posts on Instagram: @claireninhamart and Facebook: Claire Ninham Art. Here Claire shares sources of inspiration, images of work at various stages of completion, sketchbook pages, exhibition news and recently published haiku.