CLAIRE HARTMAN SIMLER

Claire Hartman Simler has been painting for several years in response to her love of nature, and a 40-year career dedicated to the care and exhibition of museum, corporate and private fine art collections. Claire’s work in the preservation, examination and display of art was inspired by a desire to understand composition, the use of color and the artistic process of individual expression. Over the years, this engagement deeply resonated with her, had a large visual impact and increased her curiosity and desire to paint.

“There is an immense encyclopedic register of images and subject matter in my mind. I always hoped to find a way to express my love of art. To capture its beauty through watercolor is a great adventure and I am continually in awe and humbled by the complex simplicity of each subject I choose. I draw inspiration from the strength exhibited in nature; a hawk feather, a bird’s nest, a dragonfly wing. Each of these things, so delicate, exhibits a lightness in being, yet provides an upward lift for a bird of prey in a strong wind, a fortress for newly laid eggs, or the high-speed acrobatics and agility of transparent wings moving at lightning speed. There is an inherent sense of power and placement with objects found in nature. I want to be a part of it.”

Claire lives in Litchfield, Connecticut.

My watercolor paintings presented here are giclée prints. Giclée refers to the process of making fine art prints from the most sophisticated technology used in inkjet printing. The intent in reproducing my work is to allow it to be available to a larger audience. Each is framed in reclaimed barn siding, which is chosen for each painting and covered in museum ultraviolet glass to ensure its longevity.

- CHS