Clare McIntyre

Clare McIntyre is a classically-trained artist and designer who lives in Toronto. The daughter of a professional singer, Clare spent her life around creative energy and the arts. Her combined talents in painting and interior design give her work a unique style that is centred around sensory observations. She invites the viewer into a world where they may get the sense of a slight breeze, the warmth of dappled sunlight, or notice the tactility of a smooth, damp leaf. Clare adds her own touch to realism by incorporating brushstrokes that give her art a sense of movement. She is particularly drawn to florals because the subject gives her an opportunity to bring things to life by exaggerating objects and using colour to play with light, depth, and transparency. Clare loves working with solvent-free oil paint, watercolour and gouache, and has recently taken an interest in experimenting on nonstandard papers and other substrates. Clare believes in using natural materials as much as possible when she works, and feels there is a strong connection between materials and subject matter.

You will see the influence of 19th and 20th century British and French design in Clare’s work. Time spent living in London informed much of her style, inspiring her to take a bold approach to colours and patterns. Clare’s love of antique textiles is an extension of her fascination with the story of used, found objects and the opportunity to give them a second life. Clare began honing her craft as a youth, taking courses at the Art Gallery of Ontario and continued her education as a young adult, earning a BFA from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. When Clare went back to school at Sheridan College for a degree in interior design, she found that she could bring artistry to the spaces she designed through impactful focal points and features. Clare now uses this background to design fabric and wallpaper for residential interiors.

When she isn’t painting in her home studio, she can be found exploring different corners of Toronto, collecting wildflowers with her daughters for their next project, or hunting for vintage picture frames.