Clare Lewis Organic Atmospherics' photostream

'On the journey to spread happiness and healing.'

'An addictive rush of energy is created between me, my surroundings and the works of art.'

The 2 Art sets displayed:
Created over the space of approximately 8 year period.
I don't really take notes of times and years as they really don't hold importance in my life, but in between learning about how the rest of the world sees the space around them and trying to survive in what I am starting to see as my creative bubble, I have thoroughly enjoyed a feeling of huge fulfilment with every stroke whilst painting these two sets in particular.

These pieces are interactive, and for the full experience, there is nothing like actually standing there studying it in person. It's like music and hearing it live, without the interaction of a live performance we can only imagine the original feelings after the production people have taken off the rough edges and removed the quirks! In my opinion it is this connection that is often lost as reprints and copies are prone to be innacurate recreations of what is felt when engaging with the piece.Particularly with these pieces, the textures are important to the piece, but impossible to photograph!!

Enjoy my attempts to recreate these as 'images', as they are only representations of the pieces themselves - just as a portrait photograph often neglects to capture the essence of a person's personality...

After a 2 - 3 year reflection and regrouping period, I am now excited to begin on the next step of my exciting journey, and organically I am moving into new creative realms including healing rainbow and crystal colour and form and am tapping into new energy, resisting the temptation to sell out for the sake of some bread and butter ;-)

Enjoy, I'll keep this posted with the growth, but remember, as I have had to, organic takes time, it's not something one can force on the world, if you are tapping into your creativity, believe yourself, nobody else has a clue what vision you have, that is down to you and only you.


My Development:
I visualise my development from being a very young child in wonder of creating realistic snippets from life, proving myself to others by sketching objects from life, learning my skill, interpreting observations around me from objects to figures and more enjoyably recreating observations of organic life forms and recognising the energies around us in the form of moods and emotions. My creative development increased rapidly during my time at Stroud School of Art, Gloucestershire town set in the five valleys in the beautifully stunning area in the cotswolds. Between 1992 & 1994, I was extremely fortunate to be trained in a hugely exciting range of techniques, using larger and more fluid materials & was given the space to create in a really natural learning environment. 'No Rules' just help to nurture what comes naturally. This began an obsession for recreating huge emerald green waves and underwater environments and I enjoyed learning woodcutting and printing and merged these into what became my final show. Then on to Brighton to 'study' printmaking, and let's just say this was a shock to the system for a country raised girl!

My Thoughts about Brighton & Hove Art Scene:
I have remained in Brighton (sin city!) for over 13 years, and have seen the rise of 'interior' 'contemporary' art culture in Brighton, and have seen how one market has dominated the local art scene with the introduction of reprints replacing the need for original artwork and original pricing. I have seen a throw away market and niche market with no real room for middle ground or 'developing' artists. I have seen the exhibition of work go from Artists being paid to exhibit in public or commercial environments, to these environments turning to large corporates like 'Ikea' and reproduction lines that cut prices to as low as £30 for reproductions...with hugely talented artists work being free to exhibit? Competition yes, but is there any need for annihalation? Nothing given back in return? Not even a meal in their restaurants? I have seen artists give endlessly and receive nothing in return.
This is about to change, it has to change as ' There is always a need for creative thinking - it is essential and not a luxury' (Kate Tojeiro, Fresh Business Thinking.com 2007)

'Take only what you need, leave your competitor enough to live, wherever possible, don't compete, cooperate. Pollinate eachother, build firm structures that lift smaller species into the light. Pass around the nutrients,share the territory...you're not in war, you're in a community' Extract from : Economic Laws Clash with the Planets, Donella Meadows, 2001