Clare Youngs
On a recent and much longed for visit to England I travelled to Broadstairs to visit with Clare Youngs and her husband Ian.
Broadstairs is a Victorian seaside village which up until the 1950’s was one of the most popular seaside holiday resorts in England. The villages claim to fame is that Charles Dickens’ Bleak House was based on an enormous seaside hotel that still exists there. Dickens used to holiday in Broadstairs and nearly every tourist site mentions him. Many claiming that he sat, ate, slept or drank there. It’s a charming town that is now being colonized by artists and others who are finding the charms of it’s faded glory.
Such is the story of my connection to Clare Youngs.
Shop Clare Youngs
The modern miracle that is instagram has given me so many new things to explore. Conversations have been struck and correspondence has ensued and often only from a stray image that has popped into my screen for a moment.
Such is the story of my connection to Clare Youngs.
Her artwork of birds flashed onto my screen in a random search. A few years ago, I was looking for art for our house on the lake. Her charming collages of birds reminded me of the birds that swirl and screech around our house all year long. I reached out to enquire if I could buy a couple of birds for my lakeside home. She obliged and the artworks hold pride of place in my home now.
I was sure to hang on to our connection through Instagram and as her works dropped into my feed daily. I started to wonder if she would be willing to collaborate with us. The result is a charming selection of cards that we now sell for Christmas and a sparking collection of die-cut ornament cards that are based on the tin hand-cut decorations she makes for herself at Christmas.
Clare and Ian have a charming house that they have just remodelled. It has a clear view of the sea and is bright with sunlight and reflections from the sea. It is filled with the treasures of two artists, things made and things found and thought beautiful.
It seems I am always envious of the beautiful, creative, spaces our artists live in. They are full of possibility and the satisfaction of a life doing the things you love the most. As Clare said blithely “ I sit here and paint and fiddle with cut pieces of paper and make things” Clearly she does much more than that, but how enviable a way to spend ones days.
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