Clare Haley

“Yorkshire landscape artist Clare Haley is positively in a league of her own. Her superb depictions of Yorkshire’s majestic landscapes as they respond to the elements could quickly see her rival Turner for his title of ‘Painter of Light’”. —Yorkshire Ridings Magazine

Born and raised in Yorkshire, from an early age Clare developed an artist’s appreciation for the county’s stunning landscape and dramatic weather. After completing her A levels, Clare attended art college to complete a Foundation Course in Art and Design. When selecting a speciality, Clare considered Fine Art; but to Clare, painting was deeply personal, and the idea of being tutored rightly or wrongly eventually pushed her to instead specialise in Graphic Design.

Ironically enough, it was Clare’s career in graphic design that gave her the opportunity to dip her toes into the life of a professional artist. While living and working in Northern Ireland, a local gallery took a keen interest in Clare’s paintings, and exhibited her work in a joint exhibition. After working for a few more years in the greetings design industry, Clare finally returned to painting in 2010, when she was offered her first solo exhibition. Since then, she has worked and flourished as a professional artist, attaining great success and gaining an international, loyal following at an astonishing pace. In 2023, she was selected for the prestigious New Light Prize Exhibition, cementing her place amongst the rising stars of Northern art and beyond.

Today, Clare Haley works from her small studio in Holmfirth. She develops the atmospheric content of her paintings through location photography, research of weather and cloud consequences, imagined places and her experience living in an area of such raw beauty. For Clare, a cloudless sky holds no inspiration; but rather, a cloudy sky dictates her paintings’ drama. It is “the controlling light bursts, muted illumination, deep shadow, angry threats of a drowning landscape in rain, dense banks of suffocating mist and delicate sheets of moisture” that inspire her. Her paintings reflect the untamed allure and emotion of the British landscape, making them powerful pieces for any collection.