Claire Duncan

Painting

My work responds to questions of what it means to be human at a time when our own actions threaten the very nature that inspires us. The creatures that inhabit my paintings appear to bear witness to the after-effects of human impact and give silent judgment. 

Ideas rarely come to me separately. I see the world in multiple views. One idea sometimes balances the other. Other times one view focuses another in sharp contrast. The eye doesn’t always settle. Dark and light. Soft and sharp. Near and far. While working with a narrative that describes nature and human impact, feelings bump up against each other: Soothing and alarming. Beautiful and disturbing. Diptychs have been my way of dealing with this order of things for several years now.

I come to painting after a 30-year career in graphic design. I combine a professional designer’s understanding of the visual vocabulary with an artist’s passion for the painting process.

A video segment on my work has appeared on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Art Beat and on PBS Newshour’s CANVAS website. I'm a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists.