Clare’s most recent work, which can be viewed here, is a series of videos which started life from a photo walk in Dartford, incorporating the Darent Valley Path in Kent. Clare began the project as a format for creating some online resources called The New Creative - short tutorials about a creative process moving from photography, drawing, sculpting, mono printing and digital artworking in Adobe Photoshop. The project mirrors the range of techniques and materials Clare uses throughout her practice. The four videos focus on four images from the photo walk and act as a starting point for creating the layered artwork.
Clare takes direction from the material of paint for this collection. Focusing on the movement, texture and mixed hues of paint to create distinctive silk scarf designs. Bold sweeping strokes fill the surface and contrast with sharper, dash-like marks. Colour moves between cobalt blue, muted mauve and seasonal burnt sienna. Clare experiments with abstract composition; layering, collaging and re-positioning painted paper, bringing oil, ink and water based pigments together. Clare photographs each artwork and works digitally to create distinctive scarf designs.
All artwork is printed onto lightweight 100% silk crepe de chine, square in size, 125cm x 125cm. Scarves are photographed by Capture Factory, model is Willow Boswell-Wright and hair and make up by Alicia Sandeman.
Hand-stitched wall hanging incorporating panels of white cotton dyed with indigo and digital print on silk. 1.5m x 1.8m.
In 2016, Clare began work on a commission for a private residence in Hove, East Sussex. The project included two curtain designs featuring the architectural highlights of Montpelier (the client’s local neighbourhood) and Falmer Campus at Sussex University (the site of the client’s former studies). Measuring 15 square meters each, this large scale project involved photography and sculptural elements to create a bespoke textile digital print onto linen fabric. The curtains would provide a dominant decorative feature for two rooms; the bedroom and living room, each curtain to cover the floor to ceiling sized windows.
Read more about the project here.
In 2004 Clare was commissioned to create a wall hanging for the reception area in a health clinic situated on the 50th floor of the Emirates Towers Dubai. The 6m x 4m piece consisted of digital print and laser cut panels installed with back lighting to accentuate the layered artwork. Clare responded to the brief for this new high tech clinic with similarly high tech processes which achieved a contemporary and tactile outcome.
A selection of art and design printed silk square scarves designed by textile artist Clare McEwan. Clare explores a range of materials by hand to create original artworks including drawing, painting, printing and sculpting. These works are photographed with light and developed digitally into beautiful, abstract collections of silk scarves.
Imagery is printed onto a lightweight crepe 100% silk. Scarves measure either 125cm x 125cm or 65cm x 65cm with a fine and delicate 3mm stitched pin hem.
Concrete is the theme for this scarf collection. Clare created a series of hand made concrete tiles to study using macro photography and light, capturing the intricate texture and form of this man-made material.
During the making process, she experimented with the surface layer of concrete, combining other materials and objects within the drying cement, acting as a resist and creating surface texture.
The resulting concrete has been broken into fragments and composed on the light-box, highlighting the edges, crevices and irregular forms. The resulting imagery has been worked digitally to develop highly original, layered designs.
All artwork is printed onto lightweight 100% silk crepe de chine, square in size, 125cm x 125cm. Scarves are photographed by Capture Factory, model is Willow Boswell-Wright and hair and make up by Alicia Sandeman. Clothes by The Makers Atlelier – featuring the sport-luxe bomber jacket and utility dress in pure white cotton and linen.
The Cut Out collection focuses on the process of traditional print making and irregular shape to create vibrant, abstract designs. Imagery is developed from Clare's artwork. Using the idea of the ‘cut out’ shape in a surface to reveal and hide layers within the artwork. In printmaking, stencils are cut out and layered over existing artwork, acting as a resist to the new ink layer. Complex and unexpected colour palettes emerge as the freedom to move between artworks means work is spontaneous and experimental. Clare photographs each artwork and works digitally to create distinctive and beautiful coloured scarf designs.
All artwork is printed onto lightweight 100% silk crepe de chine, square in size, 125cm x 125cm. Scarves are photographed by Capture Factory, model is Ella Vallance and hair and make up by Alicia Sandeman.
Inspired by Cy Twombly's abstract works, Clare joined fashion designer and friend Jennifer Rodríguez-Selden from label Quincampoix to collaborate on a new collection. Clare studied with Jennifer at Central Saint Martins in 1999. With a shared love of colour and experimental drawing, they collaborated on an exclusive print project, based on Cy Twombly’s expressive paintings. Rodríguez-Selden and McEwan studied and absorbed Twombly's palette and gestural paint marks, to transform a body of their Twombly-inspired paintings into prints for fashion. They used digital photography to combine the handwriting of both designers into each of the edited prints. Womenswear label Quincampoix presents a forward-looking collection that combines luxury materials of silk, wool and leather, and incorporates painterly silk prints into female garments. The label defines itself by highly skilled pattern cutting and attention to detail.
For C F McEwan, Clare has created a limited edition range of scarf designs in printed silk crepe and cashmere. Each scarf is decorated with expressive and vibrant texture and colour - a trademark of all C F McEwan designs.
Artwork is printed onto lightweight 100% silk crepe de chine, square in size, 125cm x 125cm and 100% cashmere 190cm x 65cm. Scarves are photographed by Lindsay Watson, Hair and Make-up by Alice Oliver and Model Isabelle at Nevs.
Clare’s article about collecting found objects on a walk through Glasgow and applying Jasper John’s approach - “Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it. (Repeat.)”
‘It starts with my own journey, not my usual photo walk, but a hunt for discarded objects that I’ll claim as found objects . Objects found by chance and ‘considered from an aesthetic viewpoint’. I swap my camera for a carrier bag and proceed to scan the ground with an unexpected self consciousness. I walk from Buchanan Street bus station to University Way, which is more or less a straight line, heading west through the city for about thirty minutes. It’s a clear start and end point, helpful for my concentration and limiting any extra decision making – because to blink would be to miss the low lying treasure.’
Read the full article here.
Dartford Creative: Art in the Public Realm 2016
Printed vinyl over 20m of Hythe Street railings (photo credit Praxis Creative Photography)
Clare was one of four selected artists commissioned to create temporary artworks for the town of Dartford.
Clare created two installations for Dartford capturing the viewpoints and architecture of the town centre, titled Caving the View. Using photography, mono-printing and drawings of Dartford, Clare presented two large scale works making use of a lenticular process – allowing multiple images to be viewed from different angles. One of the installations is shown here as an exterior piece for Hythe Street, using printed vinyl on the railings. More information about the project can be followed in Clare’s blog.
This project was a partnership of Dartford Creative, Dartford Borough Council, Icon Theatre, Francis Knight Art Consultancy and Arts Council England.
Dartford Creative is an arts programme that is funded by Dartford Borough Council and Arts Council England, exploring ways in which artists and local people can get involved in arts and cultural activity in Dartford.
Fragments, 2.11m x 2.87m, 2007
Textile hanging, mixed media quilt including screen print, paint, hand stitch, digital print, digital embroidery
Solo exhibition for Millais Gallery Project Space, Southampton University
Over three months, Clare selected one material at a time and photographed various stages of experimentation. Choosing shells, foil, paper and plastic as materials to transform into imagery for a new scarf collection. Each image describes a material’s story, the effect of arranging, lighting, sculpting and layering.
Scarf photography Yeshen Venema.
Bringing to life Clare’s photo walk article, have a listen to her first podcast. Many thanks to Peppi Knott for sound design and production.
"Walking 10,000 steps towards a new colour palette. Using my camera phone to look and record my surroundings. A late summer afternoon in Scotland, a walk through a local town centre, housing estate and countryside, up onto the hill beyond.
I’m sharing my discoveries to illustrate how walking can boost inspiration and motivation to get started on a new creative project. My own focus was my usual abstract and formal interests – colour, texture, shape and material."
Dartford Creative: Art in the Public Realm 2016
Brick and printed silk (photo credit Praxis Creative Photography)
Clare was one of four selected artists commissioned to create temporary artworks for the town of Dartford, Kent, UK.
Clare created two installations for Dartford capturing the viewpoints and architecture of the town centre, titled Caving the View. Using photography, mono-printing and drawings of Dartford, Clare presented two large scale works making use of a lenticular process – allowing multiple images to be viewed from different angles. One of the installations is shown here as an interior piece for Holy Trinity Church using printed silk and brickwork. More information about the project can be followed in Clare’s blog.
This project was a partnership of Dartford Creative, Dartford Borough Council, Icon Theatre, Francis Knight Art Consultancy and Arts Council England.
Dartford Creative is an arts programme that is funded by Dartford Borough Council and Arts Council England, exploring ways in which artists and local people can get involved in arts and cultural activity in Dartford.
Article about mark making, read the full piece here.
‘I make marks, I collect marks with my camera, I’m obsessed with irregular shape and have ongoing curiosity to rearrange and repeat variations of a mark for ever more. It can be hard to talk about the abstract if you can’t see it. I think I’m writing this post to make up for my lack of mark making small talk. So I’ll make the big talk here and give some attention to my occupation.
You might call it drawing and painting, I call it mark making, I’m not sure when that began, but it feels a more accurate description for me. I’m often treating marks in isolation and certainly in the abstract. Mark making conjures up the moment to moment of the creative activity, focusing in on the act itself rather than a final outcome.
Continue reading here…
The exploration of marks created by hand. With a palette of earthy, autumnal sun, this collection free styles it’s way round a range of materials. Oil, ink, paper, thread, mesh, wool and plastic are are manipulated my hand and captured with macro photography. Clare uses light sources to build shadow and form. Oil and Ink design is the collection’s exclusive monotone offering, creating patterns and texture with pure black and translucent oil.
Scarf photography by Sarah Bird
Article and Video about Creating Colour Palettes
‘I’ve been writing regularly about my own approaches to art and design for over a year now and I’ve only just realised I rarely talk about creating colour. I’ve mentioned the idea of ‘finding’ colour, through photography, printmaking, photo walks and maybe using Adobe Photoshop, but never about how I instigate colour. I’ve kept it quiet, mysterious somehow, even to myself.'
This abstract piece is painted on canvas using acrylic and collaged with printed silk and mono-printed paper.
80cm x 60cm
Paper forms the subject of this scarf collection. Origami squares, geometric lines and delicate brushes of white fill the canvas. The structure, shape and surface of paper are all captured through Clare’s drawings, sculptural forms and macro photography. The imagery has then be developed digitally to create a series of scarf designs printed on a lightweight crepe de chine silk.
Each piece is printed on 100% silk lightweight crepe de chine measuring 120cm x 120cm. All work is designed and produced in the UK. Scarf photography by Capture Factory Studio
Article exploring interior spaces in Cambodia and how they can connect to contemporary artworks
'I’m writing about some key memories from my visit to Cambodia last year and exploring what unites them. They all involve a particular use of interior space. I share six themes emerging from my experiences in these spaces and consider how to link them to contemporary artworks – a good workout for my inner library of sculpture, photography and film. '
Read of the full article here…
Article exploring colour themes in Vietnam.
21 days in Vietnam, travelling from South to North, Clare shares her photo edit and explores whether a country can project its own distinctive colour. Here are 20 images that emit a certain something, a colour story, unfolding over five themes.
Read the full article here.
In May 2016, textile artist Clare McEwan worked with all students to create a range of artworks for permanent display around the school interior. The focus was to celebrate the life of the school, reaching 80 years old this year. ‘Building the School for the Future’ was the theme throughout the artworks, imagining the look and feel of the school in years to come.
The objective for the entire project was to offer the students an exciting and positive experience whilst creating high quality, long lasting pieces of work which would engage the whole school community.
Each year group developed their own large scale work in a range of mediums such as ceramics, textile fabric printing, 3d sculpting and photography.
Here are some images from the year 6 session on creative photography. Students created digital imagery using a light box, translucent materials and digital cameras. The theme was based on futuristic school architecture and grounds at Manor Junior School. Following the photographic session, students worked in Adobe Photoshop Elements with their teachers to develop their imagery, adjusting brightness, contrast, colour and creating layers. Clare pre-recorded a ten minute video tutorial in Photoshop Elements for students to follow in their own time.
Clare met with a group of Year 12 art and design students from Dartford Science and Technology College to go on photo walk around the local area. Clare devised the route to take in a variety of locations; residential, industrial and natural landscapes covering a distance of about three miles.
Following a short photo walk introduction, Clare led the students and staff on a frosty sunny morning in January. Themes the students were encouraged to look for included: accidental colour, combinations of materials, layers, light and shadow and contrasts.
After the walk, students uploaded their new images and worked in photoshop to select and edit key images for their A Level exam preparation. Clare spent some time reviewing the images with the students, discussing image selection and personal interest themes evolving from the photo walk.
Textile hangings: mixed media including screen print, paint, hand stitch, digital print, digital embroidery. Each approximately 1.2m x 1.2m.
Solo exhibition for Millais Gallery Project Space, Southampton University, 2007
Article exploring the use of materials to create new 2d imagery focusing on the properties of foil, concrete and paper.
"The scientist in me did want to intervene a little more, explore cause and effect, observe, transform and look again at materials. I learnt how to make paper, how to boil onion skins to make dye, I made paintings with mud and photocopied broken glass to make patterns. I froze objects in water to watch them thaw and ran car tyres over my ‘road’ textiles to make a ‘real’ mark. I read The Secret Life of Bees and promptly wanted to cover everything in honey – inspired by its imagery of the black Mary statue who was bathed in honey as worship. I still have the screen print on a swatch of cotton in my sketchbook, richly preserved in a honey layer – nine years later."
Read the full article here.
Article exploring a series of mono prints inspired by travels in Laos
“After 45 minutes the city starts to be revealed. I sit on a wall and rest, the weight of my rucksack released for a moment. I gulp water and watch the anonymous, robed monks walk by, captured here in the photo. Their orange fabric lit by the sun, in perfect contrast to the sky. Complimentary colours in action. Laos cast its spell and lingers still.
I share this beginning because its how I remember Laos, this high pitch of colour. Amid the quiet, spacious surrounding, it’s easy to absorb details here. Some of which I’ve been trying to translate through mono printing. I’m going to share three prints inspired by Laos imagery. It’s a challenge for me to resist pure abstraction and pattern which is my more comfortable place when printmaking.”
Read the full article here…
Article exploring mono prints developed from a shape-themed photo walk.
I wrote about photo walks in a previous article last year and meant to return to the topic. This time, I’m intending to be a little more focused. I’ve set myself a mini challenge – to go in search of shape in my photo walk. Finding regular or irregular shapes in my environment that will go on to inspire a range of original mono prints.
Why mono prints? Because I love any excuse to return to this technique, always a key part of my practice and where I head in spite of any lost motivation. Through mono printing, my spark returns.
Read the full article here…
Mixed media textile hanging created with cotton fabrics, natural dyes of onion skins and red cabbage, applique, screen print, mono print and hand stitch. 2m x 1.4m, 2008.
Clare contributed to the variety of art events going on during the White Night Festival in Brighton in 2010 with her textile installation using light, scrap paper and fabric.
Clare invited visitors to tie scraps of coloured tissued paper onto fishing line which ran along the behind fabric work. The fabric was lit strongly from behind, meaning the scrap paper shapes cast shadows onto the fabric to be viewed from the other side. Visitors could be both participants and audience by moving behind and in from of the fabric. The work began as an empty sheet and was developed throughout the night to become full of texture, shape and colour as more pieces were added.
Hot pinks and deep purples contrast with some cooler hues of blue, grey and dusty pinks this season. The collection focus is on capturing the edges and lines created by different materials. Using paper and plastic, the edges are crisp and sharp, angling their way into the image and piercing bright areas of colour. Using fabric and oil, other edges and lines are softer, diffused and layered with light, forming muted tones.
Scarf photography by Sarah Bird.
Clare worked with Chalfonts Community College as a visiting artist over three years as part of their Change School Project with Creative Junction. The project focused on year 8 students working creatively with new technologies. Using the poem 'Eating the Birds' by Margaret Atwood as inspiration for image making, students sculpted with scrap materials, light sources and cameras to create original artworks. Students photographed their installations and worked digitally in Adobe Photoshop to develop rich imagery and text, incorporating layers and colour changes.
“We ate the birds. We ate them. We wanted their songs to flow up through our throats and burst out of our mouths, and so we ate them. We wanted their feathers to bud from our flesh. We wanted their wings, we wanted to fly as they did, soar freely among the treetops and the clouds, and so we ate them.
We speared them, we clubbed them, we tangled their feet in glue, we netted them, we spitted them, we threw them onto hot coals, and all for love, because we loved them.
We wanted to be one with them. We wanted to hatch out of clean, smooth, beautiful eggs, as they did, back when we were young and agile and innocent of cause and effect, we did not want the mess of being born, and so we crammed the birds into our gullets, feathers and all, but it was no use, we couldn’t sing, not effortlessly as they do, we can’t fly, not without smoke and metal, and as for the eggs we don’t stand a chance.
We’re mired in gravity, we’re earthbound. We’re ankle-deep in blood, and all because we ate the birds, we ate them a long time ago, when we still had the power to say no.”
In 2008, Clare worked as an artist in residence over six months to create a large scale permanent artwork for the school’s new art and science building. Workshops included all students and staff from reception to year 6 and covered fabric dying, fabric printmaking, hand stitching, fabric constriction, photography and digital development in Photoshop Elements. Final work offered sound insulation for the large space and measured 3m x 4m.
Clare talks about her response to being creative on the road. She shares her highlights in Bali, drawn to the natural materials of bamboo, palm, coconut and fields of rice. Read the full article here.
In 2007, Clare took part in a six month project with four Buckinghamshire Schools using online web tutorials from Clare’s art studio and school visits. This was a pilot project funded by the Arts Council England to experiment with the idea of a virtual artist in residence. It included one to one and group tutorials with A Level art and design students, exam portfolio preparation and experimental workshops with photography, sculpture and Adobe Photoshop. Clare wrote a blog detailing the progress of the project.
