We were lucky to catch up with Claire Jane Kendrick recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Claire thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about signing with a Gallery? How do you seek professional representation?
For me the process of finding a new gallery will often start with some online searching. It could be a social media post that might catch my eye or a magazine ad or article. If I like the artists that a gallery has on their website, I make a note of the gallery details. Visiting the gallery in person gives me a feel of what the space is like, if I could envision my work hanging there, this is all vital research before you approach Gallery Owners. Typically, there is a formal submission process when approaching any gallery. It’s important that your work is going to compliment the gallery portfolio of talent and in turn, the gallery want to know as an artist, if you’re going to be consistent and professional to work with.
An important step is getting to know the gallery management and staff. Often if the gallery representatives know about you and the understand the process of how you work and paint, they will pass on knowledgeable information about the provenance, process and personality of the artist and their work to collectors. An experienced gallerist can help guide the collector; they can tell if an artist’s work speaks to them that’s the business of art. It’s the subtle dance between artist and collector the gallerist presents the possibility to connect.
I am currently represented by five galleries and have been working with three of those gallery partners for over a decade. I choose not to expand too quickly watching the ebb and flow of the art market and that taught me much about gallery needs and expectations. Curating a body of work and being prepared to reach new collectors prompted me to add two more galleries in 2022.
My latest representation is with Meghan Candler Gallery in Vero Beach, FL. The galleries are a vital partner introducing my work to a new collector and following the success that I have had with my Seascape Series. Meghan Candler, represents over forty contemporary, emerging and established artists working in Abstract, Impressionist and Realistic styles. This gallery was recommended to me by an artist friend, and I followed the gallery for many years before even approaching them. I was confident my Seascape Series would be a great fit for the Meghan Candler Gallery, given the coastal location. The gallery location often dictate’s the work that’s suitable to send or that will be selected. While there may be other artists who produce wonderful work with the same subject matter, the vibrancy of my palette and the impasto pallet knife application offers a unique approach to the subject and that sets my work apart from the other artists the gallery exhibit. Its most important that my work should complement but doesn’t overlap.
I also hope to have representation in Cape Cod. MA very soon as I am working through a selection process of pieces to send to them. This location is very dear to me, and I have visited several times. My friend and mentor Anne Packard introduced me to the area when she invited me to Cape Cod, in 2011, I returned in 2016, when I was awarded a coveted residency at the “C-Shape” Dune Shack. Located in Cape Cod National Seashore, by Provincetown Community Compact, Inc. Many famous artists and writers have lived in these rustic dune shacks, seeking isolation and enhancing their creativity – most notable being Eugene O’Neill, Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer and Jackson Pollock. Visiting just recently again in 2022 renewed my interest in exhibiting on the Cape with the dream of spending summers there painting. I have a love of that coastline, and the summer temperatures would offer a much-needed reprieve from the heat in Florida. I want to reach a new collector but also spend more time in that area. The beauty of the Cape is breathtaking, and any painter will tell you there is a lifetime of inspiration. For a decade I have plein air sketches and paintings they are specific to that area, so it seemed important to explore showcasing my voice and viewpoint in this highly competitive and populated art market.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
I studied Fashion Design in Manchester (UK). After graduation, my first job was in Paris, France working for one of the leading fashion trend and color forecasting agencies. Working as a fashion designer allowed me to travel throughout Europe, USA and Asia sparking a love of art, travel and style. I lived in several countries during this time including France, Belgium, Sweden and United Kingdom.
Emigrating to the US in 2006, gave me the opportunity to pursue my dream and transition into being a full-time painter. Free of the restrictions and trappings of the commercial design world, being a painter offers ultimate creative freedom. I was able to draw on my experience in business and as a freelance fashion designer which prepared me for running my own business, the challenge of breaking into a new career and the challenge of entrepreneurship was set.
I started small, working on smaller pieces of work and would spend hours painting plein air, developing my skills and as my confidence grew so did the size of the canvas. I started to build a portfolio of work and then look for gallery representation.
I was very fortunate that early in my career, my paintings caught the attention of Anne Packard, an American Contemporary Painter from Cape Cod, MA. Anne was having a one woman show in St Augustine, FL and was staying locally. She came into the gallery that represented my work and commented to the gallery owners that at last she had found a painter who knew how to paint. The owners asked Anne if she would give me a critique of my work. “I will give her 15 mins…tell her to be here at 10am tomorrow morning!” We met the next morning as planned and after talking for more than two hours I had an invitation to stay with Anne and paint on Cape Cod. Since then, Anne has been very gracious with her time and knowledge and her nod of approval and mentoring have given me the confidence to push through barriers in the art world. It also made galleries and collectors take a second look.
(Selected Review) – “All the senses seem to be wide open in Claire’s paintings…. she is a talented and committed painter and clearly has her own voice, a painter’s painter. I would place my bets on Claire now and in the future.” Anne Packard. 2012.
I have continued to grow and develop my painting technique and been very fortunate to work with some great galleries who do an awesome job selling my work.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
A pivot for me was the change from Fashion Designer to Artist. Transitioning from my career in Fashion Design, with a salary and travel benefits to become a full-time working artist, was a jaw dropping and worrying experience! Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to segway into my new role over time. I was in a new location with a clean slate, I just had to pivot.
I set about working with the best artists I could find. This was a second career, and I was starting at the bottom of the ladder, I could afford no distractions and I was lucky that my work was well received from the beginning. In my heart I had always been a painter it would have been my first choice as a university degree, but it was always considered a risky proposition. It’s a career not for the fait hearted. Finding a mentor also really helped.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
The goal is to build a team. Sure, I’m an independent self-employed artist. “No man is an island” From years of working in large design teams I miss the collaboration in the office environment but find it in different ways and recognize the strength in taking time to build and develop relationships beyond my studio walls.
I treat my galleries as trusted friends and keep them up to date with new paintings as they need them. It is my job to anticipate their needs and for myself it’s my job to stay inspired to meet these demands. I like to visit my gallery locations in person at least once a year, I have a personal relationship with each gallery I work with, I value them, this includes custom framers, printers and suppliers. They are all an extension of my business; my livelihood and I appreciate everything they do.
As an artist my goal is to use quality paint and products so that the archival integrity of the painting will stand the test of time. As a full-time working artist, I have a self-driven desire to propel my work forward and over time the catalogue of work will grow and develop and each year. The gallery representatives are essential in reaching and growing a collector base that recognize and appreciate my paintings.
The Galleries I partner with offer fabulous exhibition space which allow the paintings to breath, curated elegantly with other complimenting works of art. They champion the artists they represent and when your part of that, it’s an essential piece of the success story for any artist.
The collector needs their time to connect with the painting, often artists who self-represent overwhelm collectors with information. The professional gallerist reads the room! I have been very lucky with the gallery partners I work with, for they allow me to paint, just paint. This is when I’m happiest. The gallery introduces my work to collectors, they protect me from negotiations the rollercoaster of a sale possibility or not. They don’t pressure me to paint or meet requests. They do present commission work, which I always welcome.
No one sees the behind-the-scenes carrying crating, packing, shipping, transportation of delicate works of art. Many artists like to go it alone, I am a firm believer in being supported by wonderful galleries.
Claire Jane Kendrick is represented by the following galleries:
Gardner Colby Gallery – Naples, FL,
www.gardnercoby.com Tel (239) 403-7787
Art on Centre Gallery – Fernandina Beach, FL,
www.artoncertre.com Tel (904) 624-7255
Plum Gallery – St. Augustine, FL,
www.plumartgallery.com Tel (904) 825-0069
Meghan Candler Gallery – Vero Beach, FL,
www.meghancandlergallery.com Tel (772) 234-8811
Claire also has her own studio and gallery in the Historic Art District – CJK-Studio & Gallery – St. Augustine, FL. To stay in touch and follow new works by CJK, sign up for her newsletter via the website www.cjk-studio.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cjk-studio.com
- Instagram: cjk_studio
- Facebook: CJK-Studio
Image Credits
Profile Photo by Jennifer Jordan.
CJK – Logo Sea-glass Diptych, Seascape by CJK | 48×96 | Available at Meghan Candler Gallery
Seascape by CJK in the Window at Gardner Colby Gallery, Naples Florida Seascape
“Heat of Summer” | 48×60 | Available at Gardner Colby Gallery, Naples Florida
Landscape “Wide Open” | 48×48 | Available at Plum Gallery, St Augustine FL
Artist & Owner Claire J Kendrick | CJK-Studio & Gallery, St Augustine, FL
Landscape “Sail Day” | 60×48 | Available at Art on Centre, Fernandina Beach, FL
CJK Studio & Gallery | Historic Art District, St Augustine, FL