“MURALS… from them something more and something inexplicable forces emotion. I paint them in oil, either directly on the wall or on wooden panels in long friezes according to what the location dictates. Clothing painted rooms in dreams. Walls that come to life. Unbounded freedom telling stories. Transforming space-time. Adding volume to a room. Clothing it in shadow and light. Encouraging the sun. Lightly touching transparency. Close up or far away to lose oneself. To look. To create what I have held dear for so long.” – Claire Basler, Painter.

 

 

BORN IN VINCENNES… France in 1960, artist Claire Basler studied at the famed École Nationale des Beaux-Arts before bringing her work to the world – first exhibiting locally in Paris and later reaching an international audience with gallery exhibits spanning the globe from London to Beijing, Houston to Brussels.

 

 

TODAY… Basler lives and works in a fairytale setting – in a centuries old French castle surrounded by sprawling gardens and rolling fields edged by dense forest.

 

 

FOR A BOTANOPHILE… inspiration lies all around and Basler takes full advantage – bringing the outdoors in, in the form of flowers, vines, and branches – planting many in vases throughout her home while selecting others to be immortalized in paint.

 

 

THE ARTIST’S UNIQUE… vision combines a meticulous attention to detail with a heady dose of fantasy often breaking from the confines of canvas to spill out and engulf the viewer in 360 surround.

 

 

IN THE KITCHEN… the walls were scraped clean exposing the structure’s century’s old history. Here, as in the rest of the home, furnishings are kept simple, even utilitarian. The one exception – a single artfully hung light fixture.

 

 

WHILE NATURE… looms large in Basler’s work, she also cites trips to the Lourve and more specifically the work of 18th century French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau as particularly influential in the development of her artistic style.

 

 

IN THE STUDIO… a rotating harvest of botanicals serve muse to a wild, twisting, and windswept array of large-scale scenes.

 

 

ART IMITATES LIFE… Layered one on top of the other, live bouquets visually merge with the art that portrays them. The result is a castle brimming with ever-changing compositions – each one rendered in the round.

 

 

LIFE IMITATES ART… Looking out on the landscape from Château de Beauvoir, it’s easy to see what drives Basler to her studio day after day. Claire Basler’s work and home are now available in book form in her 408 page tome, Claire Basler. It’s a fascinating dive into the living work of one very unique artist.

 

 

1. Mobile in mirror polished metals

2. Bottle & Vessel in free-blown colored glass

3. Cloche in mouth-blown glass

4. Side Table in carbon dyed cedar

5. Multi Light Pendant in black

6. Jersey Sheets in lavender