Clare Wilcox Profile

As a young girl living on a Southland farm in New Zealand, Clare found a way to passionately express not only herself but her natural surroundings, through various art forms. And now some 30 years later, she's still doing it.
In fact, it was a Southland Girls High School art teacher who moulded and encouraged Clare to complete her degree in design and art studies. It was also a teacher at this school to whom Clare sold her first painting.

A clothing design career in both Invercargill and Christchurch started Clare on what was to be a lifelong journey of creativity and eccentricity. Specialising then in delicate hand stitched wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses, Clare still reinvents a dress or outfit for every occasion whether it's for herself, her family members or friends.

But it was in Central Otago that Clare returned to her first love - painting. To improve her overall skill set, Clare worked with a tutor from the Wanaka Art School and explored life drawing. Clare reflects that as a goal to improve her 'people skills' that year, she completed a nude for each of her family members as Christmas gifts.