Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Claire Vohman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Claire, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I knew I wanted to be an artist since about 6. I always wanted to do the posters in school, and I thought I really was good. Looking back, I was good at ideas and composition, but still to this day my drawing skills are lacking. I never had the confidence to pursue it until I was 35. I started in 1998. I did study graphic design before that, and did that for a while, but having full control of my creativity is what I wanted. I started by turning my doodles into refrigerator magnets. I was always doodling and putting words with the drawings. And here I can segue into what my parents did right, they instilled no confidence in me whatsoever, it was always depressing being around them, but that’s why my art started out as a confidence booster and inspirational, I was trying to “fix” myself, and in the process, a lot of people were attracted to my art. I wish I would have started sooner, so I would have more experience and my art would be “further along” but I didn’t have the confidence so it’s a moot point. So I suppose I am glad I even started at all!!
I still struggle with confidence in my drawing skills. I still draw people like a 5 year old – I have tried learning drawing but it doesn’t “take”… this has lead me to have my own style and to be able to relate to Folk Artists, who traditionally have had no training and their art has a naïve quality.
I started by painting backwards on windows, which was perfect because I write backwards easily. I came up with the business name: CLAIRE WAS HERE… which I thought of because my parents took us to the N. GA mountains as kids and I would see “Joe was here” spray painted on rocks. I thought it was kind of funny that you would have my art at home and it would say “Claire Was Here” because I was… when I was painting it! I was told my company name should say what it is in the name, but I stuck with Claire Was Here and I’m glad. I had another (former friend) artist copy my idea and do “_____ Was Here” for her business, (it caused a rift so we are no longer friends) but other than that it’s a unique business name!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started out by doing the magnets with drawings and words and clay hanging figurines. Then I began reverse-painting on old windows. I am ambidextrous and can write backwards with my left hand easily, so I wrote a lot on my paintings. They were so heavy to take to shows, but they made it so I didn’t need weights to hold down my tent so that was good. I also sold prints of my drawings. At some point, my prints stopped selling well so I stopped that and also stopped the windows. One thing is I have a lot of leftover paintings. I stopped doing shows so it was hard to sell my windows. I started putting my art on fabric (Spoonflower.com) once I discovered that. I had wanted that for YEARS but didn’t know how to get my images on fabric before. I started sewing these fabric images onto colorful kitchen towels and doing wholesale shows at the Atlanta Gift Mart. That went REALLY well… I was sewing towels night and day. Then my towel source dried up and I had to get more expensive towels so I stopped selling at the Mart (it’s very expensive to have a booth there) because my prices had to go up. I was tired of sewing so many towels anyway! So now I sell fewer towels, which I like, but I still like them. I do home shows and sell them here, and invite other artists to sell as well. I also sell at different shops on consignment with varying rates. Two are 50/50 and in one I pay rent. NOW, I am doing more experimenting with fiber arts (I always wanted to, but didn’t have the confidence in college when I took a fiber class. It was my favorite) I’m trying my hand at some embroidery and I’ve been altering tshirts to make my own clothing for a while now. I get many compliments when I’m out and about. I’ve created a sweater poncho idea, and am altering sweatshirts to make jackets.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As an artist, I wanted to be creative and do what I wanted, vs. working as a graphic designer and doing what the client wants. I went down the path that a lot of artists find themselves going down, which is making art to sell, not necessarily what I wanted to make. I found myself asking “what will people want to buy?” and if an artist gets to this point, it’s still their creation, and it’s still fun, but it can go the way of being just another manufacturing job.
I’m still learning this and have to stop myself from asking what other people might want. I think as artists, we can become most successful if we go with what WE want to create. There’s a freedom that shows in the art.
ALSO: just before the pandemic, I started painting on some old records I had saved. Just for fun. I didn’t think anyone would buy them because I had such bad luck trying to sell things on Facebook (where I post mostly) but VOILA, they started selling, so I kept painting (then people gave me tons (too many) records to paint) and selling and figured out how to ship via PirateShip and had the mailman pick up the packages. This went on for a LONG time and then I felt like sales were slower and I lost interest. I can’t imagine sitting at the table now painting records so much. I still have some left to sell.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I often wonder what my goal is now. It used to be to become famous and rich and have a large company producing my art. I’m almost 60 now and that didn’t happen and I don’t even want that to happen anymore. I think what’s driving my creative journey is that I always have ideas and I want to bring them to life. And I always am inspired by something I see… whether it’s another person’s art (not to copy them but it sparks an idea of color combinations or … materials) or something I see while driving or something someone says. I just love seeing an idea come to life and be something I can hold and see and share on Facebook and Instagram and have other people like it. Now I’m starting to do funny videos and maybe informative videos. The mission is to have FUN!

Contact Info:

• Website: ClaireWasHere.com
• Instagram: claire.was.here
• Facebook: Claire Was Here – ART and Claire Brightly Vohman
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUbWWv-qEKEU5v3Rm86ituA