CLAUDIA PLUNKETT

ARTIST BIO

A Visual Journey

Claudia was born in 1979 in Kwazulu-Natal and grew up spending a lot of time in the studio of her late grandfather, Errol Boyley.  Being surrounded by his artworks and always encouraged by him, Claudia went on to matriculate from St Anne’s in 1996 and study her Masters in Fine Arts – Painting at the University of Natal.  She taught Art at a large high school for a few years and then went to London for two and a half years working as a scenic artist as well as in the events industry.
Since Claudia’s return, she continued to work in the events industry and then worked in the water sector of an engineering firm, apart from research and writing she was also involved in the marketing of the business, and from then went on to start her own business – Hummingbird Education working with educational psychologists creating and facilitating courses for teachers on supporting children with special needs.  While she enjoyed the creative aspects of the business, she continued as she had always done on the side to paint, and do various commissions, and eventually sold the business to return to her main passion and paint full time.
Claudia has an intense interest in the relationships between the human and animal world.  “I am fascinated with the energy between my subjects, I try to capture the often mysterious quality which one can never quite put into words.  I feel that my paintings often tell stories within stories, but I love the fact that the onlooker brings their own experience which creates a new narrative every time.  I have a love for the surreal – life is pretty surreal most of the time anyway,”.  One of the most important aspects for her is the convincing " feel" of light. Even if the subject is sombre the feeling of light should prevail.
Claudia was a resident artist at the Artist’s Gallery in Ramsgate.  Her studio is based in Hilton and she teaches Art at Hilton College.