BIRMINGHAM OPEN STUDIOS 2025 - Artist Spotlight: Clare Garrad
Clare Garrad: The Artist Who Paints Feelings You Forgot You Had!
Let’s talk about feeling. The real, messy, glorious kind, the kind that hits you in the chest like standing too close to the speakers at a gig and loving every second of it. When Clare Garrad paints, that’s what spills out onto her canvas: visceral emotion translated into pure colour, rhythm into texture, and music into movement. If you’ve ever had a feeling so big it made you speechless, Clare’s probably already painted it. Music isn’t just the background, it’s the heartbeat of her work.
Clare doesn’t just make gorgeous art. She transforms feelings you can’t put into words into visual language. Her canvases are loud, layered, and liberated. If you’ve ever experienced something so deep that words fail, Clare’s work might just show you what that looks like.
And let’s be clear: this didn’t come from some perfectly curated art school pipeline. Clare spent a decade in the jewellery industry before chucking the rulebook out the window and going full-time with her art she left the safe comfort zone for full-time art. No backup plan. Just a gut feeling, a need to create. Her practice is shaped by motherhood, emotional complexity, and a fierce refusal to follow anyone else’s rules. That’s not just brave, it’s rockstar-level resilience.
She doesn’t use traditional brushes. So overrated. Instead, she paints with palette knives, silicone shapers, scraps of fabric, and tools she’s invented herself. Her colour palettes are intentionally stripped back, her process driven by mood, and her studio a riot of sound and sensation. This is no place for quiet contemplation, it’s a space to lean in, embrace creative chaos, and get real.
And now, for one weekend only, she’s bringing that electric energy to Seventh Circle Gallery during Birmingham Open Studios 2025. She’ll be painting live, talking about flow states, and inviting you to ditch perfectionism and just make something. Whether you’re watching, vibing, or getting your hands dirty, it’s going to be unforgettable!
What’s Happening
Throughout the weekend, Clare will be creating live art, she’ll demo her favourite non-traditional tools, from palette knives to homemade mark-makers, showing how to create work that’s authentic to you, not just perfect. Expect conversations about getting out of your head and into your body because for Clare, creativity isn’t about being good, it’s about being real.
There’ll be paper, paints, and tools for you to try if you feel inspired, with zero pressure and maximum play. And while she works, you’re welcome to ask questions: about her process, her tools, her playlist, or whatever sparks your curiosity.
Weekend 2 only
Saturday, September 27th & Sunday, September 28th, 2025
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM each day
Seventh Circle Gallery, Digbeth.
We’ll be shining a spotlight on more artists leading up to BOS, each bringing their own flavour of brilliance. Keep an eye on the blog and our socials for sneak peeks, demo schedules, and behind-the-scenes magic.
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