Philadelphia-based artist Claire Downes Whitehurst’s “With a Flower” is a new body of works on paper centered on the floral form. Her show takes its title from Emily Dickinson’s poem of the same name and explores the intersection of the human figure and floral morphology, considering how their overlap can create a sense of intimacy between two fragile, unsuspecting presences. While spanning multiple mediums, Whitehurst’s practice remains grounded in the study of botanical forms and their relationship to human experience. “Flowers embody both beauty and complexity. They hold and burst forth, attract and endanger, sustain life and mark its transience,” says Claire. “Moving through cycles of bloom and decay, they mirror our own existence within a rhythm that is at once tender, sensual, and violent.”
"Ways to Bloom," monotype on kitakata paper, 20 by 17 inches
"Blooming Underwater," monotype on kitakata paper, 5.5 by 8 inches
"Flower Skeleton," monotype & pencil on kitakata paper, 20 by 17 inches
"Nightbloomer," monotype on kitakata paper, 5.5 by 8 inches
"Flower at Noon," monotype on kitakata paper, 20 by 17 inches
"Bloom in Early March," monotype on kitakata paper, 20 by 17 inches
"Burst in Mid July," monotype on kitakata paper, 20 by 17 inches
"Early Morning," monotype on kitakata paper, 20 by 17 inches
"Flower's Shadow at Midnight," monotype on kitakata paper, 20 by 17 inches
Claire is a painter, printmaker and sculptor. She received her BFA from the University of Mississippi, and her MFA in Painting from the University of Iowa. In 2018, she was the recipient of the Stanley Fellowship for International Research at the University of Iowa. She worked in the Dordogne region of southern France where she studied polychromatic cave paintings and engravings. Her research focused on the relationship between surface and image, and the compositional complexities of abstract narrative. Claire has exhibited nationally and internationally, and a book of her drawings and poetry was published in 2021 through Drum Machine Editions, Asheville, North Carolina. Her work has been featured in numerous publications including New American Paintings, Oxford American, ArtMaze Magazine, and the Graphite Journal in collaboration with the Hammer Museum along with many others. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Claire lives and works in Philadelphia.
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