Claudia Haskell — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Biography

Claudia Haskell makes paintings and mixed media artworks. She found a way of expressing her feelings through colours, motives and scenery in her paintings. She started off with abstract and from there, she went over to landscapes. After a while, she wanted to paint animals threatened by extinction and make people aware of the threatened environment. Her artwork also addresses social criticism aspects of society. Claudia Haskell currently lives and works in Brühl.

Artist Statement

Art is the most simple and beautiful form of a message that can be delivered without any words. It makes you think and wonder and sometimes it inspires you. And If my art did all three to you, it is the highest form of recognition I can imagine.

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?
I started making some sketches and painting basic ideas. It was a great stress reliever to put brush to canvas, so I wanted to keep it up. There's a lot of words that can be used to describe emotions one has deep inside, but sometimes expressing it in a visual medium ends up being far more effective. Instead of words, I feel inspired to paint.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

I want my work to have an impact and meaning, both to myself and those who see my art. Art is subject to interpretation, regardless of the
artist's original intention, but that still gives it meaning to someone. If I can get someone to see my art and ponder on it for even 10 seconds, I feel I've achieved that goal.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

I often paint animals and some of the most popular commissions I receive are for clients wanting a painting of a beloved pet. When I show them the finished piece, they often reply with such gratitude, showing just how much it means that they can have such a personalized piece of art of something or someone they truly care for. Besides that, I also paint things that tell a story. Particularly powerful motives like visualizing mental illnesses or the despair and sadness caused by outside circumstances, such as the pandemic, really resonate with viewers. In a strange way, painting such negative aspects brings people together.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

When it comes to what I want to paint, it often feels spontaneous, a spur of the moment thing. Other times it's based on my impressions of
a thing or situation that I wish to express. I work between two different mediums to start and consider which can best express my message. Sometimes, I even end up using both. I'll sketch out my idea and experiment with colors until I feel I've found what I'm looking for and then start the full piece. Even when I'm working on the final paintings I'm still willing to experiment here and there when a new creative wave hits if I believe it to still carry my original intentions. If I can keep those intentions throughout, I feel my work is complete.

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

I like the planning process a lot, thinking about how I want to present a motive and how I can express my personal emotions to the viewer without words. It feels the most satisfying when the motive, colour and emotional tone all form a cohesive package that others can see and understand.

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

Many of my followers still enjoy my animal paintings. There are many species out there, particularly endangered ones, that fascinate people and I feel my art helps expose them to their beauty and their plight. Paintings involving the isolation and state of the world in the past year are also still an inspiration for subjects. Despite everything, the world is still not back to the way it was, and may not be for some time longer. I feel that art centred around these emotions is more
important than ever, and is something I hope to share more of, as well.