Clare Reilly - (Hardcover)

About the Book

Celebrating artist Clare Reilly's life and work, this beautiful collection explores her passions for coastal New Zealand and the country's wildlife. Beautiful writing and serene paintings combine in a meditative depiction of a life's work.

Book Synopsis

Clare Reilly: Eye of the Calm is an exploration of New Zealand painter Clare Reilly's life and work. The mixture of autobiographical writing
and gorgeous paintings subtly shows how Reilly's art and experiences are
entwined. Her themes cover the issues of habitat destruction and
renewal, depicting native New Zealand birds in the landscape as metaphors for
joy. In an increasingly troubled and fast paced world, Reilly's work offers the
viewer a place to reflect on the healing qualities of nature and gather a sense
of revitalisation.

Eye of the Calm' was an exhibition title used by Reilly as an expression
of her life's work. This expression is continued here with an insight into her beginnings
as an artist and her subsequent career. Reilly has a strong connection to
coastal New Zealand and a great love of the country's wildlife. From first
encounters with Tui in her grandmother's garden to memories of rolling hills
overlooking the ever-changing sea, these passions have inspired her work and
are brought to life here in a beautiful collection.

Experience a sense of calm and hope with this story of a fascinating
life told through both words and imagery. Themes including death, grief,
finding new paths, and even dance and the joyful movement of birds in flight
are explored in a manner that is personal, yet universal. A beautiful,
meditative exploration of a life and a life's work.

Review Quotes

"Familiar to many from a popular line of calendars and greeting cards- are beautifully reproduced here with a richness of colour that captures the clear light of a new Zealand summer." - Joanna Wane, NZ Hearld, Canvas Magazine

"Nature provides us with a way to restore ourselves and renew. Note the seasons and work alongside nature, grow caring communities and find calm in a turbulent world".
- Life and Leisure magazine. Summer edition

"New Zealand artist, conservationist and author Clare Reilly has been painting and writing for more than 40 years, meticulously charting a life defined by deep connections with nature, ... She describes her homeland as "an ark of forest and birds, sailing adrift in the Southern Ocean", and pastel images of the likes of Kokako at Dawn(2014) are accompanied by lyrical verse. Imagine its "haunting bell notes" at first light amid the "fragrant, musty bush" of ancient tree ferns and be transported to a timeless, gentle and enchanting world." - The Australian

"This beautiful book uses autobiographical writing and prints of more than 100 of Reilly's gentle and dreamy paintings to provide insight into her life and career as an artist. They reflect on her first encounters with tui, bellbirds and kereru at her grandmother's house in Dunedin, ... and her involvement in various conservation and wildlife support projects. The works illustrate many of Reilly's favourite themes, including habitat destruction and renewal, and the healing qualities of nature." - The Garden

About the Author

Clare Reilly is an artist, and has been painting and exhibiting since 1976. She has held many solo and group shows over the past four decades and undertakes many commissions each year. Her images have been used on book covers and have been included in NZ Landscape Art calendar collections. Clare also produces cards and self-titled annual calendars. Her artwork has achieved international recognition and her private commissions have found their way into collections in Argentina, North America, Israel, Europe and Australia, as well as throughout New Zealand.

Clare is passionate about conservation and has been involved with the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust's Tui Restoration Project, for which she travelled around New Zealand to help Tui by relocating them to better environments. She continues to support conservation projects through her artworks, which express an underlying connection with the natural environment, in particular an empathy with native birds. Her more recent works focus on issues such as the encroachment of human activity on the limited natural resources we have left, and the historical effects of settlement on the native land species found in her locality.

Clare has two sons and worked as a part-time Montessori teacher alongside painting for 16 years, until she returned to full time painting in 2008. She was born and educated in Wellington, New Zealand, and now lives in Waitati, on the coast of the South Island. This is her first book.