About Claire

Claire is an acclaimed artist, illustrator and jeweller based in the heart of Ireland, working predominantly in pencil and watercolours in her illustrations and oils for her celebrated portraits.

 

Claire creates art works to view, share, own or wear! See her online shop for the current collections of fine art originals, prints, and hand-crafted jewellery.

 

Clients seeking a unique piece to mark a special occasion, such as a wedding, a special birthday or anniversary or to remember a lost loved one. Claire’s personalized baby portraits and wedding gown illustrations are highly evocative and popular gifts for the parents of a newborn, or a wedding couple.

 

Claire’s last exhibition ‘Heart and Soul: Portraits of Irish Musicians’ featured in the Irish Times, Irish Examiner  and Hotpress Magazine. The exhibition comprised 17 paintings of celebrated musicians from all genres of Irish music including the last a portrait of Phil Lynott commissioned by his late mother Philomena. The exhibition received wide acclaim from the people who viewed it, and the celebrity musician sitters themselves.

“It was the first time someone captured the real me.” – Imelda May

 

Claire is a Fine Art graduate of Limerick School of Art and Design where she specialized in Print Making, a recipient of a Masters in Cultural Policy and Arts Management from University College Dublin, and a Jewellery Design alumni from the National College of Art and Design, Ireland.

 

Claire has worked in the National Galleries of Scotland and in the Hugh Lane Gallery, and engaged schools and community groups on a vast array of creative projects. She continues to teach, and share her love of art with a new generation of artists.

 

‘I’m passionate about jewellery that has a special narrative or subtle meaning behind it; a secret message between the giver and the recipient. I like to absorb a client’s intimate story to understand what is valued by them and imbue a little symbolism throughout their jewellery. I can recreate lost jewellery by studying photos of the item and this is one of the most rewarding and most precious elements of my job. In my portraits, I really try to capture the sitter’s essence and soul and in much of my artwork, the inspiration stems from my love of lyrics and poetry and also nature, animals and birds. I love that others can then admire my piece without knowing the true tale behind it” Claire Guinan

Claire is a member of Design Craft Council of Ireland and Visual Artists Ireland.