Where did the art begin?

I can trace the origins of my art right back to my childhood growing up in Horsham, West Sussex. From a very early age, creativity and colour were an important part of my life.

One of my earliest memories is of my Mum sitting in a hospital bed using a bright yellow fruit peeler, not long after giving birth to my brother.

The little red wheelbarrow I used to help my Dad transport manure from our drive to the back garden, the purple flared trousers I wore to Sunday school and the emerald green racing car I rode around the garden, are just a few of my many colourful childhood memories.

Back then we didn’t have a TV. Most Saturday afternoons my brother and I went next door to ‘Auntie’ and ‘Uncle’ Mac’s to watch

the wrestling and munch on a toffee or two!

Whether it was drawing, colouring or painting, writing plays to perform in our front room or constructing miniature fairy homes from petals and sticks in my grandparents’ garden, I usually had some kind of creative project on the go.

I made several memorable pieces in art classes at school. Pollution was a collage featuring computers, bits of litter and cigarette butts I’d picked up from the street! Metamorphosis was a lurid composition made from an old sock featuring a toadstool and narrow strips of magenta, purple and viridian fur from a deconstructed hat. Sadly I received little encouragement from my art teacher and after an unfortunate incident involving an envelope filled with sequins I gave up making art for more than 20 years.

After studying geology at university and moving to Worcester, frequent trips to West Cornwall, home to vibrant artists’ colonies since the late nineteenth century, reawakened my interest in art. I took up a painting evening class and short courses at the St Ives School of Painting and Newlyn School of Art soon followed.

I’ve been painting ever since. The excitement I experienced as a child opening a new tin of crayons or a bumper pack of felt tip pens has never quite worn off.

"Those early years are in some ways the

most critical in our lives!" Claire Hankey

It’s fascinating how early years’ experiences play such a significant role in shaping many artists’ work. Abstract artist Claire Hankey explores this in her brilliant podcast series, Where the art began, where she chats to established contemporary artists about how childhood memories and experiences have influenced their art.

Listen to Where The Art Began