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Artwork 2022
Art by Kate Claringbould
"My Ocean Home"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
I’ve always thought of home as where I lay my head at night. Wherever I laid myself down was home as me, myself and I (not a place) was home. Working on this artwork led me to question that association.
This artwork created a strong sense of homecoming. I could not decide if it was because in an abstract way I had captured the hilly ranges that always loomed up in the distance of Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay and thus my childhood memories were imbuing the piece or because “My Ocean Home” was tapping into my love of the ocean and water. Perhaps it is both. Perhaps I will never be able to parse where this emotion comes from, however for me, this piece is home.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: December 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, plywood substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 34.75 inches x 20 inches
Hours to make: over 350 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"The Peacock Feather"
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Availability: Artwork is no longer available.
Meaning:
Beauty can be found in the simplest things. Simple harmonious colors, a simple circular design and a repetitive pattern can all come together in a universally adored whole. The peacock feather is such an object. It is loved by many as a symbol of beauty (even of wealth, privilege and prestige). So far I am as yet to learn of someone who finds the symmetry and color of a peacock’s feather to be a hideous thing.
Yet the very adoration of the peacock and its feathers makes me wonder about the nature of beauty as a whole. Were we trained by our ancestors to love simple repeating patterns as that is what they could create at the time? Or is the love of patterns and repetition a genetic expression that defines what we believe to be beautiful? These are questions that I believe there is no answer for. So instead I open my eyes wide and enjoy the beauty in the world around me.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: October 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, bamboo substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 4 inches x 4 inches
Hours to make: over 8 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"The Coming Remembrance"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
I hope the title of this piece is wrong and that the future I envision happening does not occur. However I fear that this title might prove to be true and that we are facing another great extinction event. More and more animals are being placed on endangered lists or have simply just disappeared (the elephant is just one that is currently endangered). Soon for many of these creatures all that will remain will be the memories of their presence in our lives, like this artwork.
The abstract elements in this piece were deliberate choices. Grey-green skies to indicate the coming storm as these creatures leave us. Water to symbolize the tears shed and sadness we feel as they go and red poppies in the background, symbols already of remembrance and of tragic losses too innumerable to count.
Why an elephant? In the literature I have read, elephants apply themselves time and again to solving problems so that their tribe has the greatest ability to survive. They will work as a team to protect one another and make sure that all members live to face another day. They do not abandon each other until all hope is gone. Thus the elephant was chosen as a symbol of not only things we could lose, but also as a symbol of hope, of what we could bring to the table to help solve this problem.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: July 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, canvas mdc substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 16 inches x 20 inches
Hours to make: over 160 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"Crashing Waves"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
The waves crash through the recesses of my mind. They pound against the raw emotions, smoothing jagged edges until calmness and contentment is achieved.
I stand at the ocean’s edge watching wave after wave come in as the pain and grief well up inside me. Yet, as always, the ocean works its magic. The pain subsides. The storm of emotions pass over the horizon’s edge allowing the sun to shine through. It is going to be a lovely day.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: June 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, glass substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 4 inches x 4 inches
Hours to make: over 8 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"Beacon"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
Water fascinates me. It is always changing and moving, never static. You can watch it for hours and never see the same scene twice. You can lose yourself just as easily in a small puddle as you can in a lake or an ocean. Yet water can also be a source of dread. The floods that rage across the landscape removing all traces of your possessions, the storm at sea that hides dangerous rocks from tossing ships. The ice that hangs from trees causing limbs to fall and break threatening you as you walk beneath them. Water is a necessity and a force of nature. It supports us and yet it can also destroy us, both through abundance and lack thereof.
With Beacon I wanted to capture the duality of water and of life itself. Do we feel relief that the storm is departing or apprehension at its arrival? Our perspective of this work will be a reflection of our state of mind outside of it and can change from moment to moment as our own moods morph and change. Yet, even in our darkest moments I also wanted to give us hope. No matter how perilous the situation, there is a lighthouse there to not only alert you of danger but also to help guide you to safety. It is a rock in a storm that will be there, whether the storm is there or not.
This is a significant personal piece for me. Like the flow of water, I too at times find myself adrift on a storm of deep emotions. In those moments, art is my lighthouse. It helps to guide me to calmer waters and deposit me on the shores of tomorrow ready to face another day.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: May 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, glass substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 6 inches x 6 inches
Hours to make: over 20 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"Bathhouse Beach"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
For many decades they have sat together at the top of the beach looking out over the water. Small bathing boxes built for the people’s convenience. They appear as a symbol of permanence, brightly colored and fixed to their location.
Looks can be deceiving however. Permanence is not a part of the world we live in. Nature and time can bring great changes. The bathhouses are there, but the beach underneath them is disappearing.
We people do not cope well with the change. The bath houses were built to stay. Thus, like Sisyphus with his boulder, we spend many hours rebuilding the beach. Can we stem the change in tides or will the ebb and flow of nature triumph?
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: May 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, glass substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 6 inches x 6 inches
Hours to make: over 20 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"The Poppies Version 3"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
There I was, walking the same path, day after day after day. My vision of the world unchanged. My pieces growing oh so slowly as a reflection of the world outside, rather than the world inside. Yet today… today of all days I sat down and said “Today I will do it differently. I will see it differently. I will try it differently. I will be different.”
I am grateful for this moment in time. It was unrecognized at the moment, but now that I see the progression that has come afterwards I know it for what it was: a turning point, a change, a development. A time when I made a step on to a much less travelled road and started the process of exploring something unique to me.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: May 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, bamboo substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 4 inches x 4 inches
Hours to make: over 8 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"The Poppies Version 2"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
There I was, walking the same path, day after day after day. My vision of the world unchanged. My pieces growing oh so slowly as a reflection of the world outside, rather than the world inside. Yet today… today of all days I sat down and said “Today I will do it differently. I will see it differently. I will try it differently. I will be different.”
I am grateful for this moment in time. It was unrecognized at the moment, but now that I see the progression that has come afterwards I know it for what it was: a turning point, a change, a development. A time when I made a step on to a much less travelled road and started the process of exploring something unique to me.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: May 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, bamboo substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 4 inches x 4 inches
Hours to make: over 8 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"The Poppies Version 1"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
There I was, walking the same path, day after day after day. My vision of the world unchanged. My pieces growing oh so slowly as a reflection of the world outside, rather than the world inside. Yet today… today of all days I sat down and said “Today I will do it differently. I will see it differently. I will try it differently. I will be different.”
I am grateful for this moment in time. It was unrecognized at the moment, but now that I see the progression that has come afterwards I know it for what it was: a turning point, a change, a development. A time when I made a step on to a much less travelled road and started the process of exploring something unique to me.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: May 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, bamboo substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 4 inches x 4 inches
Hours to make: over 8 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"Sailing the Seas"
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Availability: Artwork is no longer available.
Meaning:
My ideal life is a nice breeze, friendly seas and a wind in my sails. Yet like the ocean, I know this is a momentary state, one to be enjoyed for the temporary passage it is. For at any time I know that my life can be disrupted by forces beyond my control: war, nature, or the health of myself or another.
Knowing that this can happen, I have sometimes asked myself why do we bother to set out at all? Why place our small little craft in the water of life if it is just going to get blown over time and time again?
It took me a long time to realize that I asked myself the wrong questions. Why use why when instead we can use why not? Why not set out and experience life? Why not see where life will take us and what vistas will open on the way?
We only get one chance to live. At the end of my life, I want to know that that is what I have done, no matter what life brings along the way. For it is only by living that we get to be alive, and being alive means feeling all that life has to offer: yes to grief, sorrow, sadness and pain and yes to joy, beauty, love and life.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: May 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, glass substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 6 inches x 6 inches
Hours to make: over 20 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"A Day at the Beach"
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Availability: Artwork is no longer available.
Meaning:
For me, visiting the beach is like going to a meditation studio, except of course it is free! As the waves crash around me I contemplate life and my place within it. The smallest I feel in life is when standing before an immense ocean. I know that I am as important as the other specs of sand gathered around my feet.
As I walk along the coastline and watch the waves roll in and out I see others busy with their lives: a ship on the horizon, a lighthouse in the background. I realize that there are many ways to live and many paths to take, just as there are many specs of sand gathered around my feet.
I look up at the sky and see shades of blue stretching as far as the eye can see. I lose myself in that expanse, letting thoughts roll through my mind as the sounds of the waves reverberate through my ears. I love that I too am one of those specs of sand, gathered around my feet.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: April 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, glass substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 6 inches x 6 inches
Hours to make: over 20 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"I am an Ocean Elephant"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
The story of an elephant is one of life versus possessions. Elephants are frequently killed for their tusks, a killing that occurs so a small segment of society can increase the number of trophies or ivory carvings they place on a wall. In this story, people lose sight of who and what elephants are, the lives they lead and the family that they leave behind.
In “I am an ocean elephant” I wanted to restore life to the elephant. I wanted to remind people everywhere that elephants are more than their tusks, that like us, they are creatures who think, feel, play, love, live. When we see an elephant as alive, and deserving of life, it makes it harder for someone to kill.
By sharing and communicating, values can be changed. I realized a deeper understanding of the plight of the elephant via sharing a conversation with a friend. I decided to continue that conversation with this artwork so that others too can join in and understand more themselves. To help with this I made some deliberate artistic choices. I chose beads where the reflected color changed as you moved and as the light hit different areas of the bead. This enables the elephant to move and change and live in front of you. I constructed the elephant to look young to remind us that these animals have the potential for a long life, a life that is often cut short. Finally, I placed the elephant in water, a place of enjoyment, relaxation, fun and living, for them and for ourselves. By showing what we share, we can allow these creatures to keep their identity, their sense of self and perhaps their lives.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: March 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, glass substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 16 inches x 20 inches
Hours to make: over 160 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"Bamboo Jungle"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
The story of an elephant is one of life versus possessions. Elephants are frequently killed for their tusks, a killing that occurs so a small segment of society can increase the number of trophies or ivory carvings they place on a wall. In this story, people lose sight of who and what elephants are, the lives they lead and the family that they leave behind.
In “I am an ocean elephant” I wanted to restore life to the elephant. I wanted to remind people everywhere that elephants are more than their tusks, that like us, they are creatures who think, feel, play, love, live. When we see an elephant as alive, and deserving of life, it makes it harder for someone to kill.
By sharing and communicating, values can be changed. I realized a deeper understanding of the plight of the elephant via sharing a conversation with a friend. I decided to continue that conversation with this artwork so that others too can join in and understand more themselves. To help with this I made some deliberate artistic choices. I chose beads where the reflected color changed as you moved and as the light hit different areas of the bead. This enables the elephant to move and change and live in front of you. I constructed the elephant to look young to remind us that these animals have the potential for a long life, a life that is often cut short. Finally, I placed the elephant in water, a place of enjoyment, relaxation, fun and living, for them and for ourselves. By showing what we share, we can allow these creatures to keep their identity, their sense of self and perhaps their lives.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: March 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, wood substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 6 inches x 24 inches
Hours to make: over 70 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"United Lizards"
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Availability: Artwork is no longer available.
Meaning:
Lizards can be found everywhere except a few islands in Oceana and Antartica. Their diversity of shapes, colors and sizes is phenomenal with species variations running into the thousands. In United Lizards I chose seven lizards from different geographic regions: Asia, Australia, South America, North America, Europe and Africa. They have some similarities and some differences and yet they are still just lizards wherever they are. Their colors are unique and celebrate their individuality and beauty but are not used by us to rank them in order of value.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: March 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, wood substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 16 inches x 20 inches
Hours to make: over 160 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"Lucky Bamboo"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
As we walk through our daily lives we imbue everyday objects with the power to alter or shape our destiny. Their mere presence in our pockets, room or auspicious location can help us study, work, dream and/or achieve. I used to think this was hocus pocus, but not so anymore.
When life is tough a lucky object can provide a little extra support that makes all the difference. Why not use a talisman if it helps us through a difficult phase in our lives? If I believe myself to be lucky, I will relax and do better than if I worry about luck having left the building.
“Lucky Bamboo” began as a quick study for a larger piece but is now an artwork in its own right. It is a reminder that talismans serve their purpose, as they have always done. This “Lucky Bamboo” is here to remind you that yes, we do have the potential to alter and shape our destiny, and that the first step is believing that we are capable and lucky.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: February 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, bamboo substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 4 inches x 4 inches
Hours to make: over 8 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"A Day in Buffalo"
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Availability: Artwork is no longer available.
Meaning:
USS Sullivans (DD-537) was commissioned in 1943. It was named after five brothers who had died in the sinking of a ship in 1942. The USS Sullivans was active until decommissioned in 1965. In 1977 she was donated to the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in Buffalo, NY. There she still resides, although a recent sinking means that she now requires some loving tender care.
While walking with family in 2021, I took a series of pictures of the pier and the ship itself. One captured the American flag flying in the background. My nephew loved that photo and so working together we turned it into a drawing, then a painting and finally a bead mosaic. The bead mosaic was gifted to him in 2022.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: February 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, canvas mdc substrate and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 11 inches x 14 inches
Hours to make: over 80 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Art by Kate Claringbould
"Future Butterfly III"
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Availability: Available for sale. Price on request. Click here to inquire about purchasing or an in-person viewing.
Meaning:
The Black Swallowtail caterpillar is a gorgeous caterpillar. Until this year, these caterpillars have arrived every summer in my backyard and I love to watch them grow and morph into butterflies, along with their relatives the Monarch. Unfortunately, many people in my surrounding neighborhood view caterpillars as pests and spray their entire gardens, killing or hurting all insect life in the process and the creatures higher in the food chain that depend on them for sustenance.
With my series of Future Butterfly artworks (I, II and III) I want to raise the profile of the humble caterpillar. I want people to see how beautiful these creatures can be in their own right and to remind people that they are an essential part of our garden if we want them to complete their life cycle into butterflies. I want to encourage people to search for better methods at surviving the summer caterpillar season without requiring that all insects shall perish.
I created three works to represent the seasons when we normally see caterpillars: spring, summer and fall. I used larger beads for the caterpillar than the rest of the background in all three artworks. Thus they come to life as they crawl over the leaf and stem. By contrasting matte beads against more shimmering beads, I create a sense of light and movement that makes you feel as if you are there in the garden with them, just as I was when the original photo was taken on which these pieces are based.
Facts:
Medium: Bead Mosaic
Date of Completion: January 2022
Materials used: Miyuki Delica beads, Apoxie Sculpt, Canvas MDF substrate, beaded frame and polyurethane non-yellowing UV resistant varnish.
Size: 20 inches x 24 inches
Hours to make: over 250 hours.
How was it made: Each bead was placed by hand one by one by the artist Kate Claringbould
Copyrighted and all rights reserved.