Claire Gillis

At the heart of my work lies a belief that within every person exists an untamed land—a vast, inner terrain where strength, resilience, and creativity move freely and instinctively. My work explores this primal space through a multidisciplinary practice that includes painting, mixed media and book binding.

My paintings evolve in layers—both literal and metaphorical—using graphite, charcoal, ink, acrylic & oil and sometimes earth pigments to echo the complexity of the human experience. Earthy tones ground the work in a sense of rawness and connection to nature, while expressive marks and textures invite viewers to navigate their own emotional landscapes.

Each painting is a dialogue between control and wildness, structure and spontaneity. Through abstraction, I aim not to depict the untamed but to evoke it—summoning the hidden, often silenced parts of ourselves and giving them space to breathe, move, and speak.

Alongside my paintings, I create hand-crafted mini artist books that serve as emotional companions—small portals into worlds of magic, wonder, and inner strength. These books are meant to be held, returned to, and carried with you. Through layered visuals and poetic gestures, they offer quiet inspiration and resilience, acting as talismans for those navigating their own inner landscapes.

The Untamed Artist is an invitation to step beyond the polished and into the primal. To embrace the beauty of what is raw, unresolved and free and to use it as a source of resilience.