About the artist-
Claire Hankey
Capturing the beauty of memory and nature in atmospheric, abstract artworks.
From my garden studio in Leigh on Sea in Essex, I create original prints and mixed media pieces that offer moments of calm and reflection. My goal is to invite you into a space of discovery through my work, where each piece tells it's own quiet story.
'Art that captures the fragile beauty of nature.'
Inspiration is everywhere
Take a look through my artist's lens...
I grew up in the North West of England, and many of my earliest memories are tied to the landscapes there. I now find inspiration in the wild hedgerows, moving tree canopies and marshes near my home on the Thames Estuary.
Glimmers of landscapes, shadows cast on a patio, and ambiguous plant forms are all recurring motifs within my work. These places and vignettes hold hidden beauty and stories that I capture in my art, encouraging you to pause and uncover what lies beneath the surface.
My creative process is deeply intuitive and experimental. I work with layers of paint, collage, and wax, blending these materials with vintage papers and fragments from my mother's old dress patterns. Through this process of building up layers and uncovering hidden details, my goal is to create depth, texture and atmosphere.
In 2026, printmaking has moved to the centre of my practice, shaped by two residencies at The Art Print Residence in Barcelona, where I trained in photopolymer etching, drypoint and large format monoprinting. These processes have expanded my work, allowing botanical imagery to be translated into etched plates where line, light and texture become integral to the piece.
Across both painting and printmaking, my work aims to evoke the feeling of being touched by the elements, a sense of the past woven into the present, as achieved with the ghost prints. It's an exploration of how time and nature leave their marks on the world, and on my art. Each piece invites you to engage not just with what's on the surface, but to discover what lies beneath.
Inspired by nature's forms
At its core, my art is about connection. I hope that when viewers look at my paintings, they experience a visual journey that leads them to reflect on their own memories of nature. Each piece offers a moment to pause, engage with the textures, and perhaps connect with a deeper, personal story within themselves.
Walking is central to my art practice.
Walking plays a central role in my art practice. Plants collected from my garden and on estuary walks serve as both mark-making tools and inspiration for ongoing work. My most recent work involved gathering plants from the hills outside the art residency in Barcelona, these were then dried, flattened and put through a large mechanical printmaking press to create large format monotypes. I'm currently photographing this collection of work which will be available through The Circus Gallery.
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Bio and qualifications.
BA in Art History (Hons) from University College London, specialising in British Landscape Painting.
PGCE in Art Education- Anglia
I have taken many in person and online art courses over the last 3 years including The Creative Visionary Program (CVP)
In January 2026 I completed my first Art Residency at The Art Print Residence, Barcelona, Spain. Here I learnt the printmaking techniques of Photopolymer Etching, drypoint, watercolour monoprinting and chine colle.
What's coming up in 2026.
The Oreofe Gallery, Woodstock, Oxford. 'The Art of Abstract' June 22nd - 26th.
The Circus Gallery, Winchester. The Summer Show. June 6th - 20th
Britten Pears Summer Contemporary, Snape Maltings.
The Leigh Art Trail. Venue 3 and 31.June 6th - 19th.
The Ironbridge Printmaking Competition Exhibition. July - September.
The Affordable Art Fair Battersea - The Circus Gallery Oct 14th-19th
Essex Open - The Beecroft Gallery, Southend on Sea. Sept- December.
The Lloyds Art Fair. Lloyds of London - November.
Past Exhibitions -
2025
The Society of Women Artist’s Exhibition - The Mall Galleries, London
The Essex Open - The Beecroft Gallery, Southend on Sea.
The Space Between - The Tarpey Gallery
The Leigh Art Trail, Leigh on Sea.
The Art Buyer- Opening show, Hampton Court, London
The Lloyds Art Fair, Lloyds of London.
David Lloyd, Southend- Solo Exhibition
Aldeburgh Contemporary- Autumn/Winter Show
Little Van Gogh Company- November onwards
2024
The Clifftown Telephone Box Museum, Southend, Essex. April 2024.
The Tarpey Gallery, Castle Donnington,- Summer Show 2024.
The Leigh Art Trail - July
Art in Offices- you can rent my work for workspaces here
Milieu Studios, St Ives, Cornwall - Winter Show 2024.
2023
Highgate Contemporary Art- Summer Show 2023.
The Leigh Art Trail- July
Wells Contemporary Art (WAC)- Wells Cathedral- August 2023.
'The Pull of The Land'- The Lightbox, Woking, Surrey- November 2023.
2022
Solo show- ‘Foraged Marks’ 2022- at Create98 in Leigh on Sea, Essex.
The Leigh Art Trail- July.
Equinox- Aldeburgh Contemporary Art - October
STEP INTO THE STUDIO WITH ME
The blog is where I share the story behind my art making. Here you’ll find glimpses into the natural materials I use, the elements that shape my work and the gentle rhythms of a creative life. Whether I’m experimenting with marigold extract or walking the hedgerows for inspiration, this is where it all begins.