Biography
Claire travelled extensively to draw or paint – Italy, France, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, India and China – all lovingly recorded in her artworks and more than sixty beautiful sketchbooks. Her goal was to make us more visually aware, and she used her paintings and drawings to counteract environmental damage such as her campaigns against destructive road building and housing development.
Claire exhibited widely throughout her career from the Young Contemporaries at the ICA in London in 1963 and frequently at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the New English Art Club and Pastel Society Annual Exhibition. In 2017 she had a major retrospective 'A Life with a View' at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists galleries in Birmingham with an accompanying book and, in the same year, she exhibited at the Council of Europe 'Club des Arts' Gallery in Strasbourg.
Claire was elected as an associate of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) in 1980 and as a member in 1985. Her commissions included the Mercia Kingdom and The Globes panels for Esso Motor Hotels in Coventry and Edinburgh in 1971. She won the RBSA Centenary Prize for Watercolour in 1968 and in 1991 won the Daler Rowney Prize for a group of pastel paintings. She was awarded the Landscape Prize at Mid Art in 2003, the John Singer Sargent prize at the Broadway Arts Festival in 2012 and the Pastel Society Schminke Award in 2014.
Timeline
1937
Born 17th May at Kingsbury, Middlesex; sister Diana aged 3.
1939
Family moved to Ruislip, Middlesex.
1942
Attended Bishop Winnington Ingram Infant and Junior School.
1943
Sister, Marjorie, Born 29th July. Father died in October.
1948
Passed 11+ and attended Harrow County School for Girls.
1954
Passed 6 'O' levels. Attended Hornsey College of Art.
1956
Successfully completed Intermediate course and exam.
In September moved to Painting School.
1957
Summer holiday working in St Ives, Cornwall.
1958
Successfully completed National Diploma in Design.
After leaving College painted in and around her home in Ruislip, producing a substantial body of work.
1959
Worked in local newspaper. Summer working in hotel in St. Ives.
Obtained position as mountmaker in the framing workshop of F. A. Pollak in Blue Ball Yard, St James, London.
1960
Royal College of Art, School of Painting.
1961
Travelled to Perugia in Umbria, Italy; attended language classes at Università per Stranieri.
1962
Sold first drawing, a charcoal drawing of Chestnut trees, priced £30.
Awarded Italian Government Bursary and attended Accademia di Belle Arti.
Awarded David Murray Scholarship for landscape painting.
Son Benjamin born, 25th November.
1963
Successfully staged final degree show at the Royal College.
Obtained part-time teaching post at Stourbridge College of Art.
Moved to Stourbridge and then to 'The Mount', Clent.
1965
Moved to new teaching position in Painting School, Birmingham College of Art.
1966
Awarded Italian Government Scholarship to travel and study in Italy.
Returned to teaching at Birmingham College of Art in School of Fashion and Textiles.
1968
Awarded Royal Birmingham Society of Artists' Centenary Prize for Watercolour.
1970
Moved to 'Highlands', Clent.
1971
Left teaching at Birmingham.
1971-72
Carried out Commissions for hotels; panels based on The Globes and Mercia Kingdom.
1972
School of Art Education, Birmingham Polytechnic.
Met Christopher Postins.
1973
Head of Art, King Edward's High School for Girls.
1974
Married Christopher.
1975
Left teaching to work full time at painting.
1978
New studio built in converted roof space at 'Highlands'.
1983
Returned to study at Loughborough College of Art, embroidery with Adult Education at Nottingham University.
1984
First Birmingham Pastel Exhibition.
1985
First elected Member of Royal Birmingham Society of Artists'.
Elected Member of Pastel Society.
1986
Moved to 'Rotherwood', in Summerfield Road, Clent.
New studio and large garden gave impetus to Claire's work.
Major exhibition at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists' Gallery in New Street.
Benjamin married Susanne Sahmland.
1988
Joined with artist friends to record the landscape along route of proposed motorway.
1990
First exhibition by group of friends who later became the 'Village Artists'.
1991
First major exhibition by the 'Village Artists'.
1993
Public inquiry into Kidderminster Bypass – 'Village Artists' staged exhibition of paintings as part of their representation opposing bypass at inquiry.
1995
Worked with Maureen Richardson at Hay-on-Wye making paper.
First visit to USA; worked with experimental papermakers at Carriage House, Boston.
1997
Visited Australia and New Zealand with Christopher.
1998
Christopher died suddenly.
2000
Moved to Bewdley.
2001
Exhibition of Forest paintings at R.B.S.A. Gallery in Birmingham.
2003
Travelled to India with a group of painters.
2004
First Exhibition in Bewdley – 'The Charcoal Forest', charcoal drawings and handmade paper at Bewdley Museum.
Awarded Landscape Prize at Mid Art Exhibition, Dudley.
2006
Visited Australia and New Zealand.