q+a: claire buckley
Tchotchke Gallery: What drew you to creating abstract art?
Claire Buckley: It began as an escape from my desk job—I had been working in the fashion industry since I graduated college and despite it being a creative industry I felt stunted sitting at a desk for most days. I was working in social media, which never turns off and is obviously a lot of screen time so I was looking for something completely opposite as an outlet.
TG: How did you settle on your current holographic style?
CB: It was a ridiculously happy accident. Whenever I land on a new style I get so excited but then spend a lot of time thinking "I'm never going to come up with something new ever again." After working on these large-scale checkered pieces where the process was so tedious, I was so excited to create something more free-flowing where I really enjoyed the process from start to finish. One day after finishing a checkered commission I had so much paint leftover on my palette, I just kind of slapped it onto a canvas thinking "this will be a nice first layer." I let it sit for a while and after a friend told me they loved it I started to look at it as complete. It has evolved a bit since that first piece, but the effect was there.
TG: What goes through your head when you start a new piece?
CB: This might sound bad but ideally... nothing. If I'm thinking or planning too much or trying to recreate something, it never comes out the way I hope. I really have to just turn up the music and let it flow out of me.
TG: How do you know when a piece is finished?
CB: I don't think I ever truly do. It's more about forcing myself to take a step back. When I'm painting I'm very laser-focused on the small areas that I honestly rarely take a step back to observe it as a whole. Once I do, that's when I can really assess whether the piece feels ready.
TG: Have you had any especially proud moments so far in your career as an artist?
CB: Right now at the top of my list was getting an 8-foot piece commissioned by actor Tommy Dorfman. I had really admired her eye and was so flattered, she was an absolute joy to work with.