Mary Claire Smith

Mary Claire Smith’s practice is rooted in a sense of place within a land or seascape. Her work moves between sketches made outdoors through considered observations of nature, and studies made in her studio employing invented and abstracted forms and lines, reminiscent of botanical life, land or sea.

Often work begins with hand-drawn marks on paper: applying ink with pen, brush and cloth, creating a landscape of repetitive lines and tones. In a series of prints woodgrain textures, cuts and monoprint are employed as a backdrop to screenprinted line-drawings and marks. With woodcuts she combines chine collé, inks and pastels, using Japanese papers and water-based inks that are printed using a barren.

Another series focuses on tree forms, following the undulations of branches, the textures of bark and the choreography of leaves. She intends to show the solid rootedness of these beautiful forms, but also something of their fragility in the light of climate breakdown.

Mary Claire’s work engages with the complexities inherent in the human’s place within the natural world, her titles are references or quotes by women writers and poets to evoke feelings around our relationship and personal responsibilities to our environment.

Mary Claire has had works selected for the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair in 2022, 2023 and 2024, as well as prints in the Lido Open and the Linden Hall Winter show 2024. She is represented by Columbia Road Gallery who show her work in their gallery and at the London Art Fair and the Affordable Art Fair. Her work can also be seen at Frank, Whitstable and Kobi & Teal, Frome.

Website: maryclairesmith.com
Instagram: @mcprintworks