I am a visual artist and professor. I teach in the Division of Foundation Studies at the Rhode Island School of Design. In the past I have taught at Wellesley College, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, and in the Illustration Department and Printmaking Department at RISD. For four years I was the Director of the Jewett Gallery at Wellesley College.
Visit my website at www.claralieu.com, follow me on my Facebook page, purchase my artwork on my Etsy shop, follow me on Tumblr, on Pinterest, or on my Flickr page. View my new series of videos on my Youtube channel. My work can also be seen on Saatchi online, RISD Portfolios, the Drawing Center Viewing Program, the Irving Sandler Artists File, and on Deviant Art.
Read about my work in this interview with Art New England magazine, this interview with Rough magazine, Martha J. McNamara’s essay “Seeing through the Figure”, and Andrew Raftery’s essay “Falling”.
My studio practice explores themes of social isolation and mental illness with an interdisciplinary approach which involves drawing, printmaking, and sculpture. I have exhibited work at the International Print Center New York, the Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts , the Currier Museum of Art, the RISD Museum of Art, the Chazan Gallery, the Danforth Museum of Art, Bromfield Gallery, the Davis Museum and Cultural Center, and the Boston Printmakers North American Print Biennial.
This blog documents the creative process in my fine arts work as a visual artist. I’ll discuss the conceptual themes I’m exploring in my work, in conjunction with the multiple techniques I use in my interdisciplinary approach which includes drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Additionally, I’ll talk about other aspects of being a visual artist today; attending openings and exhibitions, my academic responsibilities as a college professor, as well as artistic influences in my work.
Please feel free to contact me at clara(at)claralieu.com. I enjoy getting comments and feedback and would love to hear from you!
Hi, your works really moved me….. so simplified so complete…
Hi Clara,
My names Freya, and I absolutely love your work. I’m studying you for my a-level art! I hope you don’t mind!
I have been looking at the way you portray emotion through your pieces. I really enjoy looking at all the area’s of work you do, especially the ‘falling’ and ‘waiting’ paintings and sculptures.
I’m hopefully going to try and do my own interpretation of your ‘digging’ and ‘waiting’ sculptures. I love how you have made something with a concept so simple into something that i personally could look at and think about for hours. Your waiting sculptures are put in such simple, everyday poses that i myself do throughout the day whilst thinking or waiting, but yet i feel there is something much deeper being portrayed from your work.
I would love to know how you created your sculptures, as in what sort of materials you used to create them..i don’t know if you can reply to me but if you could i would love to know how you done them. Also if you have any tips for my work i would greatly appreciate your advice!
Thank you!
Hi Freya,
The sculptures in the Waiting project are first sculpted with plastilene clay on wire armatures and then cast using silicone rubber molds with white resin. If you have other questions you can contact me via email at clara@claralieu.com.
Love the home post. AMAZING drawings! There is a real visceral sense of angst and turmoil. And the sheer variety of mark making is beautiful and quite sensuous.
simply amazing. very moving.
Hello clara Lieu I am struck by your contorted portraits and wonder if you are saying something about how you see yourself inside and how the outside ‘look’ is or isn’t an indicator of feeling. Having read your diary of production i understand your anxieties about cliche but would have to say that as your drawings bear no resemblance to your actual photograph then you have nothing to worry about.Or have i got this wrong? There’s some echo with Nick Quinn in the grimacing and that guy from the 18thcentury who did contorted heads but your work is powerful in its own right. Excellent.
I enjoy your studio photos.
Hi,
I chanced upon your work whilst looking at chinese ink drawing online and I must tell that I found it very moving, inspiring and thought provoking. Beautiful and important art, thanks for making it.