Claire Sower is a contemporary artist based in Vancouver, Canada, where she was born and raised. At the age of twenty-one she emigrated to London, England, where she lived for a decade doing a variety of things including fashion illustration and working as a motorcycle courier. Her years in London were interspersed with stints working on a Caribbean cruise liner and a marine conservation project on the Belizean barrier reef. In 1992, she returned to Vancouver where she began a successful career as a medical writer.
In 2006, unforeseen circumstances facilitated radical changes in Claire’s life. Consequently, she decided to follow in her artist-father’s footsteps and took up painting. In 2009, within weeks of starting her first classes, she had rented a small studio with a friend where she spent all available time. In 2012, she joined the Federation of Canadian Artists, where she also took classes. In 2013, she was offered a solo exhibit at West Vancouver City Hall, which launched her professional career.
In 2014 her work appeared on the cover of Bulletin, a national Japanese/ Canadian arts and culture magazine and 2015 saw her exhibit in New York. In March 2020, she was featured as an Artist to Collect by Arabella Magazine, and in May/June 2020 her work was shown in House & Garden Best of British Issue. Claire’s work hangs in private collections across North America and the UK.
Drawing on her time in London and many years of travel, and inspired by the painters Claude Monet, Bernard Cathelin, Nicholas De Stael, and David Hockney among others, Claire’s work is bold, colorful and unapologetically joyful. Largely self-taught, she works primarily in oil paint and is known for her impasto florals and vivid landscapes.
Claire now paints and teaches in her large loft studio in 1000 Parker Street Studios, in Vancouver, Canada. She is a member of the American Women Artists organization. Claire welcomes private viewings at her studio. Visits can be arranged by email.
Public Collections
VGH + UBC Foundation
Lions Gate Hospital Foundation
To see Claire’s placemats, bags and scarves, visit Lillabette.com
