Claudia Hollister's artistic journey weaves together nature, craftsmanship, and innovative techniques heavily influenced by the stunning landscapes of the Pacific Northwest and her passion for gardening.
A versatile artist, Claudia has excelled in sculpting, painting, porcelain, and jewelry design. Her resume includes collaborations with notable companies such as Reed & Barton, Orrefors Crystal, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Godiva Chocolates. Her works have been showcased at the Renwick Gallery and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.
Transitioning into porcelain marked a pivotal moment in her career, leading to important commissions for institutions, including children's hospitals, corporations, and the Marriott in Denver Tech. In 2008, she embraced encaustic painting, including experimenting with cyanotype prints as backgrounds for her artwork.
The 2020 pandemic shifted her artistic focus, inspiring her to photograph flowers from her garden for cyanotype prints. This evolving practice captures the fragile cycles of flora, resulting in vintage modern artworks distinguished by stunning shades of blue. Her choice of unique papers enhances the depth and character of her cyanotype prints and collages, which have gained recognition across the US and Australia.
Based in her Portland, Oregon studio, Claudia continues to push the boundaries of her artistic expression. She is a member of Waterstone Gallery, shows at Riversea Gallery, featured in the Pacific Northwest Drawers, for three consecutive years at BlueSky Gallery, and has an extensive CV.
"As a cyanotype artist, I am captivated by the interplay of light, utilizing a process that combines alchemy, nature, timing, and technology to create an intricate dance between artistry and science. In 2014, I started exploring the historical cyanotype printing techniques, dating back to 1842. I started to utilize the process for backgrounds in my encaustic paintings. That all changed with COVID. Since the 2020 lockdown, my garden has become my sanctuary and source of inspiration. Photographing with my iPhone, I use my creativity to allow the unique compositions of my garden flowers to go beyond what the camera captures. Once developed, the distinctive blue hues characteristic of cyanotypes emerge through the sensitized paper exposed to UV sunlight. Dropping the exposed paper in water, watching the magic as the print oxidizes and the positive image appears. In this time of AI digital creation, I value the tangibility and unpredictability of traditional techniques. Each print and collage is a testament to the serendipity of the process, where the unexpected results spark new ideas. I continue to develop ways to document my garden and share the beauty of my vintage-modern cyanotypes." |
Media: Collage | Encaustic | Photography
Studio Number: 64
Address: 3727 SE Sherman Street Portland OR 97214
Community: SE Portland
Accessibility: Not Wheelchair accessible (cane accessible, 4 steps to porch, 2 down into studio)
Email: claudia@claudiahollister.com
Website: claudiahollister.com
Instagram: @claudiahollister
