claire hankey

Claire Hankey captures the beauty of memory and nature in atmospheric, abstract paintings.

​From her studio in Leigh on Sea in Essex, she create paintings and mixed media pieces that offer moments of calm and reflection. Her goal is to invite viewers into a space of discovery through her work, where each piece tells it's own quiet story. 

‘INSPIRATION IS EVERYWHERE.

Take a look through my artist's lens...

I grew up in the North West of England and many of my earliest memories are tied to the landscapes there. I now find inspiration in the wild hedgerows, moving tree canopies and marshes near my home on the Thames Estuary.

Glimmers of landscapes, shadows cast on a patio, and ambiguous plant forms are all recurring motifs within my work. These places and vignettes hold hidden beauty and stories that I capture in my art, encouraging you to pause and uncover what lies beneath the surface.

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Unearthing layers of meaning.

​My creative process is deeply intuitive and experimental. I work with layers of paint, collage, and wax, blending these materials with vintage papers and fragments from my mother’s old dress patterns. Through this process of building up layers and uncovering hidden details, my goal is to create depth, texture and atmosphere. Each piece invites viewers to engage not just with what’s on the surface, but to discover what lies beneath.

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Weathered surfaces and the passage of time.

​The layers in my work are often sanded back or scratched through, creating tactile surfaces that remind me of weathered forms shaped by time. This method evokes the feeling of something that has been touched by the elements, a sense of the past woven into the present. It’s an exploration of how time and nature leave their marks on the world and on my art.

Inspired by nature's forms.

​My connection to nature plays a central role in my process. Plants collected from my garden and on estuary walks serve as both mark-making tools and inspiration for ongoing work. I press botanical prints and use handmade collage papers, embedding them into the layers of my paintings to add a sense of mystery and provenance.

​Connecting to personal memories.

​At its core, my art is about connection. I hope that when viewers look at my paintings, they experience a visual journey that leads them to reflect on their own memories of nature. Each piece offers a moment to pause, engage with the textures, and perhaps connect with a deeper, personal story within themselves.​​​​​​​​​​​​’