First of all, today is World Collage Day!? For real. So, how perfect is it that I have the lovely and talented Clare Celeste Börsch on the podcast? Perfectly perfect! Clare is an American artist based in Berlin… who has also lived in Thailand, Brazil, Italy, Argentina, and that’s just the first part of the story! I’ve loved her work for years, and assumed she was a full-time artist. Well, you know what they say about “assuming”… it makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me”. I feel like this episode is a piece of art history in the making because only two months ago, Clare finally made the jump to being an Artist with a capital A. Why? Because a tiger told her to. Listen right up there under that lady sleeping on a petal, or you can subscribe on iTunes.
Where to begin? With Clare’s tiger, obviously. Thankfully, he has finally been set free:
This is a brand new piece {as in two days ago} that Clare made to celebrate/embrace this exciting JUMP into being a full-time artist. The story about her tiger dream was magic, as is this collage.
These are a few pieces that represent what Clare was doing for the last few years {before the glass and installation pieces}. I own prints of a few of these, and yes, I LOVE them:
Sigh. So lovely … and insane cutting skills, no?!
Ooooh, here’s the installation Clare created {and that I wrote about just a few weeks ago}:
Ridiculously beautiful {even that yellow snake, whom I hate}. So much attention to detail, so many perfectly cut bits of wonderfulness, and all done while her baby napped. I mean, COME ON.
From gallery walls to New York Magazine! Yep, for somebody “doing this on the side”, Clare has certainly had some very cool commercial clients:
Speaking as a person who buys wine for the labels {don’t you dare judge me}, I’d buy all of these!
And now… Clare’s newest body of work. Collaged worlds living inside glass panels:
Right!? Oh I think she’s on her way to creating the 3D collage world that’s in her mind. I am so happy that tiger is out of his cage!
And as usual, I like to finish things off with the artist in her element:
Gasp! That light! Also, look how organized her cuttings are? Honestly, that makes my heart race with Type A excitement {I feel like you might be judging me again?}. Thank you so much to Clare for being my guest today; thanks to Saatchi Art and Create Magazine for supporting the episode; and huge thanks to you for listening! There will be more Art For Your Ear next weekend.
Other links:
- Vincent Serritella, Episode No.9
- Kate Woodrow, Literary Agent
- Fulcrum Arts, Pasadena CA
- LACE
- Kolaj Conference, July 2018
- Joseph Cornell
- “A Glorious Freedom” by Lisa Congdon
- Raffy Napay (Textile installation artist)
- Clare’s beautiful, newly restructured Instagram feed!
Amazing work! I love it so much
I loved reading this! Your work is amazing and congratulations on living your passion full time!
Bravo Clare!
Love all that processing of lives as young mothers
You are both so inspiring to me! Thank you both for sharing your work and stories of your sucess! I am being drawn to become a fulltime Artist and also to making collages again. I have been making watercolors but I love to make collages too. It is very reassuring to hear how we have similar thoughts and feelings. It really gives me hope for my own future as an Artist. Thank you so much!
Loved this podcast, and every other one to date! Danielle, you mentioned an embroidery artist at the Venice Biennale. I can’t seem to find him when I google. Has his name come to you? I am very curious.
yes! found him!!! Raffy Napay
I’m 3/4 of the way through this podcast – listening to it in short instalments when I’m in the car running my teenagers about. I have NO problem with being the family Uber with Art for my Ear! I’m just so inspired! I came to art when my kids were a little bit older than yours and so to hear how both Clare and you have managed to combine a young family with your art practise is exciting, particularly because you are so refreshingly real. Thank you for what you draw out of these inspirational artists, Danielle. Now I’m off to absorb those divine glass collage sculptures…
Hi Danielle! Sometimes I love it when you break from the interview format and let the artist wander through the forest of their own life story… Clare’s excitement for pursuing her artistic path left me feeling inspired as well! Thanks for continuing to share these important stories. Your podcast is like a weekly artistic soap opera and I can’t miss an episode! PS- I was delighted to see your collages at the San Francisco Art Market Fair a few weeks ago! Loved them, congrats!
thanks elaine!
I too listen in my car while running my teens around and I really connected with your conversation about dreams and dissecting them! I went to art school but I barely do art now! I seem to never finish anything and I’m nearing 50 and getting scared that I will never produce anything! So frustrating! You both are so inspiring! Thank you for diving in to that part of ourselves that doubt, question, and critique to no end!
start TODAY, ann! TO.DAY.
Wonderful work and super inspiring podcast. Love Clare’s prophetic tiger dream and the reclaiming of her artistry, so beautiful!
Absolutely loved this episode! Really inspired me, thank you x
I’ve really loved listening to this particular podcast…not only totally inspired by Clare’s 3D collages, they are amazing! But also as you two both working as successful artists whilst being mums.
I am 44 and have helped bring up my husbands boys for the past 10 years but now i’ve had a huge hormonal hit of, i’m not sure yet if its just the missing out on giving birth myself, or actually wanting a child. It has been really brutal (My husband is a chunk older than me and didn’t want anymore).
I have always channeled a lot of this longing into my artwork and I desperately want to focus on my art career as our boys are now older. But when i listen you artists like yourself, saying how grounding the babies are for your art, it melts my heart again… and then i ask if i’ve made the right decision!
I have no problem with my drive as an artist, i long to focus on it more, and more and i feel like i am just about on that teetering point as i had a show in NY last year and the response was wonderful, and would hate to lose that to go have a baby…. so torn!
Baby, Art? Baby Art?
Anyway, thanks so much for all the inspiration, i’m down in NZ and love feeling connected to artists around the world by listening to your podcast
Thank you
They looks so beautiful!! I can’t imagine how talent you are. You did such a great work.
[…] বেশ কয়েকবার লিখেছি, তিনি ছিলেন 2018 এর পডকাস্টে, এবং তাই যখন আমি এই ইনস্টলেশনটি […]
[…] by Berlin based artist Clare Celeste Börsch. I’ve written about her several times, she was on the podcast in 2018, and so when I saw this installation, clearly, I had to share it too! Here are Clare’s words […]