Claire Maillefer : Artist and Professional Midwesterner : Minneapolis, MN

may 3-5, 2017

Claire may as well be able to be defined by her hair. It is the pure combination of deep amber hues and reds and a single streak of blonde underneath all twisted together in the most vibrant, yet unassuming way. She's constantly in the flux of growing it out and chopping it off, without great attachment and always bending to what the season calls for. It is thick and full of volume, yet looks and feels weightless. In any picture Claire is (reluctantly) in, she adds that contrast that takes an ordinary landscape and turns it into an aesthetic worth considering. 

Claire is a Midwesterner through and through, born and raised in a small suburb outside of Chicago, then moving to Madison, Wisconsin and now residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She and her family, who come from a Swiss background, all know how to embrace and frame the seasons that often defeat other people, so graciously and I have spent the past 4 years of friendship with her taking notes.

Claire is a prolific artist - capturing the small and quotidian moments and bringing a vibrance to them whether it be through drawings, paintings, her sketchbook or most recently playful, colorful and structural paper cutouts. I highly recommend you swoop on over to see some of Claire's work on her website HERE after you read her pages.

I asked Claire to do these pages back in May,  before an unexpected tumor turned into a rare form of breast cancer. She wasn't sure if she wanted to post these pages, and toyed with the idea of doing another set, informed by her health journey. But these pages are so beautiful and such a perfect glimpse into who she is, I suggested we keep them and add on according to her continuing experience, and she agreed. So for now, here are the pages from May and there will be more to add soon:

Other entries:

Claire Maillefer : Minneapolis, MN/Madison, WI

June 12, 2015