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MIXED    MEDIA  UNITED KINGDOM

        DEMONSTRATION



        Claire “Cerysanne” Groves
        Animal Characteristics


        Claire “Cerysanne” Groves mixes oils with other mediums to
        capture all aspects of an animal, from personality to textures

                                    rom early childhood, we are introduced   movement. It is all of these characteristics
                                  Fto the wonder and beauty of the animal   that I strive to encapsulate in my work.
                                  kingdom through such avenues as television   My painting time is split between doing
                                  documentaries, zoos and, if we are lucky, the   portraits of domestic animals by commission
                                  delight of owning and caring for a tamed   and capturing wildlife in all its glory, to
                                  version of wild animals such as cats and   sell to the public. I work from reference
                                  horses. Animals are a universal subject we   photographs for the majority of the time; for
                                  can all converse in, and in turn, bring us   my commissions it is recreating a beloved
                                  together. I often have people commenting   pet from a favourite photo chosen by my
                                  on how one of my paintings has reminded   client, but for my wildlife pieces it’s finding
                                  them of their experiences with the wondrous   the one that inspires me on that given day.
                                  creatures that tread this earth.   There has to be a connection between me
                                   Personally, I find animals fascinating and   and the subject matter; a spark of emotion,
                                  am captivated by their texture and colours   a hint of inspiration or amazing detail that
                                  as well as how they can communicate and   makes me itch to paint it.
                                  make us feel with their expressions and   Wherever possible I use my own
                                                            photographs or those of family/friends, so
                                                            that I feel more connected to the painting
                                                            by reliving those memories. With Gentle
                                                            Giant, the painting I’ve chosen as my
                                                            demonstration piece, it was the gentleness
                                                            of the photograph that inspired me to
                                                            paint him. It was my aim to re-create this
                                                            gentleness and the calm personality of
                                                            giraffes, so that my audience would be
                                                            touched in the same way.


                                                            Top left: Cosmo, mixed media, 20 x 20" (50 x 50 cm)
                                                            Lions are the majestic kings of the animal world
                                                            and I wanted to convey their grandness and
                                                            intenseness with this piece. Using handmade paper
                                                            and palette knife work on the mane only helped
                                                            toward achieving my goal.

                                                            Left: Odette, mixed media, 16 x 16" (40 x 40 cm)
                                                            The limited colour palette of the feathers against
                                                            the intense orange and black draws your eye into
                                                            this calm, peaceful composition.



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   Claire Groves_Demo.indd   122                                                  6/17/16   1:47 PM
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