British artist Claire Milner was famously commissioned to create the Blue Marilyn portrait for Rihanna, but her personal body of work is made up of paintings inspired by her time spent in Africa and focusing on social and environmental issues. Mother and Child, alongside five additional works were acquired by CamFed, an organization helping fight poverty in Africa by educating and empowering girls. Milner’s artworks are held in a number of private collections, including Rihanna’s Blue Marilyn. The portrait has appeared on The Official Website of The Estate of Marilyn Monroe, and has been showcased by Swarovski. It was included in a special edition of Vogue Paris which was guest edited by Rihanna who featured the work in a profile of her favourite things. Milner’s portrait of Amy Winehouse appeared in an exhibition curated by the Amy Winehouse Foundation to mark what would have been the late singer’s 30th birthday.
The artist’s semi abstract artwork representing under sea volcanoes and life in the ocean depths entitled Hydrothermal Vents is in the collection of Professor Iain Stewart, BBC Broadcaster and head of Department of Earth Sciences at Plymouth University. Milner’s work has been displayed in museum exhibitions in the UK including: Ripon Cathedral, York Minster, Corinium Museum, Canal Museum, Pontefract Museum, Museum in the Park, as well as installations in Harrods and Whiteley’s. Milner’s paintings have been widely featured by the global media and and described as ‘metaphors of our time’ in examining the effects of humans on the natural world. She was recently showcased in ‘Musings’ which interviews thought-leaders and artists in the philanthropic and social impact space, published by Susan Rockefeller. Earlier this year, her work appeared in The Observer alongside pioneering artist Judy Chicago presenting her Create Art For Earth campaign.
In 2018 Milner’s painting Ocean Rainforest won the Oceanic Global Artivism Challenge, and was exhibited during Art Basel Miami. The competition utilised the visual arts to raise awareness about six critical issues impacting our ocean. The judges included Susan Rockefeller, Dustin Yellin, Aaron Levi Garvey, Doumi Busturia, Alexandre Arrechea and Zaria Forman. Milner’s work has raised large funds supporting critical projects for conservation organisations. In 2017 The Unknown commissioned by actress Virginia McKenna was auctioned in aid of the Born Free Foundation and sold to actress and activist Joanna Lumley. In 2016 Milner’s crystal mosaic portrait of an elephant-poaching victim Delicate And Mighty was sold to a collector in New York in aid of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi. In 2015 Burning Bright created with 32,000 crystals representing ten times the number of tigers in the wild, was exhibited at Hotel Café Royal, and auctioned at The Savoy Hotel, in aid of Save Wild Tigers, The Born Free Foundation and The Environmental Investigation Agency. Milner lives and works in North Yorkshire, U.K.
Self-taught or art school?
Art school. I did a foundation in art and design and a degree in graphic design and typography. After graduating I spent time working as an illustrator, an experience which was invaluable in my career as an artist, dealing with commissions, deadlines and expectations.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
Such a difficult choice, but for as long as I can remember The Dream by Henri Rousseau has captivated me. He is an artist who has been a huge influence on my own work. He was an important precedent for Surrealist artists such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte, and they all relied on incongruous combinations and dream-like imagery to create mysterious and memorable pictures.
How would you describe your style?
A combination of inspirations: abstract, figurative, surrealist, naïve.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
I have taken extensive research trips to Africa, South America, Asia and Australia for commissioned and personal bodies of work, and these travels continue to inform my current collections. My process begins with reference material from my travels and three essential requirements which provide a framework for each painting:
1. A topical narrative related to climate change, extinction and the environment.
2. A connection to art history and classical literature.
3. A strong compositional aesthetic linking 1 and 2 above.
Research is an essential part of my practice and I begin with extensive and often difficult research into my subject matter. I engage in hours of study, compiling statistics, viewing painful imagery and concluding with extensive analysis. It can be extremely upsetting – I might see the remains of an elephant poaching victim, marine creatures swallowing plastic, or the impact of climate change. In order to translate that devastation into a thing of beauty, yet still retain the core of the critical message, a great deal of consideration is given to the process of integrating this material into the final composition. This is where the connection to art history develops; I may have a particular painting in mind for inspiration, or I may research art which is appropriate to the work I have in mind to create. This can lead to a fascinating world of discovery, either learning more about the art I love, or finding new works. Once my research is complete, which usually takes up to two weeks, the references are entwined in preparatory sketches which are then translated into painting. Here realistic and abstract elements coexist to form a balance of topical and historical narratives in a multi-layered tactile aesthetic which reveals my love of art and the environment.
Is narrative important within your work?
Each work must stand on its own aesthetically and it’s up to each viewer to interpret the work as they wish. Yet, as the work also represents my identity, I personally couldn’t countenance focussing solely on art for art’s sake during the times we are living in. My collections are continuously evolving around the central theme of nature, our place within it and encroachment upon it. Environmental references such as climate change and mass extinction have been the central focus of my image making for more than two decades. The impact of humanity is always implicit within my artworks, even when the human figure is absent or plays a minor role in the composition. My portrayal of animals’ interchanges between the metaphoric and the literal, sometimes using them to tackle issues of human displacement.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
Some contemporary favourites include Teresita Fernandez for her immersive, elemental works of historical and cultural references about landscape and place. Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Wangechi Mutu, for their strong female African themes and integration of beautiful collage techniques and mixed media. Ryan McGuinness for his ingenious graphic language of symbols, Katie Paterson, who collaborates with scientists and researchers around the world to consider our place on Earth in the context of geological time and Zaria Forman who documents climate change with pastel drawings, travelling to remote regions of the world to collect images and inspiration for her work.
What or who inspires your art?
Nature, politics, art history and classical literature.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
My studio faces south with French doors onto the garden and is in the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside overlooking a picturesque valley. There is an abundance of inspiration from the landscape and the many wild creatures that visit regularly.
Do you have any studio rituals?
I usually research in silence, but while I’m painting, I’ll listen to radio 4 – mostly economic and political programmes and also my favourite art podcasts such as The Great Women Artists and Talk Art.
What are you working on currently?
I am currently working on a triptych which will form the final three paintings of my latest collection entitled Anima Mundi. In 2021 I will begin a new series of works developing and progressing the themes and techniques in Anima Mundi.
Where can we buy your art?
Via the contact page of my website: www.claire-milner.co.uk
I also have selected works available at Saatchi Art: https://www.saatchiart.com/clarry
And you can keep up to date via Instagram: www.instagram.com/clairemilnerart
