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Claire
Ruby Biography
Claire Ruby's impressionistic
oil paintings are intimate projections of her feelings onto canvas;
it is her unique and lyrical expressions of these spontaneous feelings
which delight the viewer. Blending realism with impressionistic light
and color, she layers her landscapes, still life's, figurative works
and florals with luminous atmosphere. Contemporary scenes along with
images which have remained as vital memories from her past in the
Hungarian village of Losonc fill her canvases. Recognized as a child
of great talent in Hungary (she began painting when she was four),
her talent earned her a scholarship to the Budapest Fine Arts Academy
where she learned basics, fundamentals and a rigid discipline. Today
she credits this rigorous training for her ability to capture the
most important essence of a subject - the "feeling" - without being
overly aware of technical considerations. Preferring to paint primarily
in oil and oil washes, although occasionally working in other media
such as pastel and watercolor, she follows a disciplined daily painting
schedule. Inspired by an image, she renders her impression as quickly
as possible, focusing on light, atmosphere and mood. Working from
a small on-the-spot sketch or a black and white photo as a reminder
and eschewing preliminary studies, Ruby concentrates on the canvas,
visualizing the finished work. Hues are mixed as needed. Preferring
to work by day, but having the studio lighting to enable work to be
done on gray, over-cast days and at night, she works through a painting
one piece at a time. She has been known to get out of bed and paint
whenever solutions to painting problems occur. In the 1950's, at age
18 and with her father's encouragement, she immigrated to the United
States where she continued her studies at the Chicago Art Institute.
After completion of her studies, Claire worked for a brief period
in the field of commercial art. Between 1952 and 1955, she studied
with such professionally inspiring artists Cilfone, Turtle, Grant,
Eccles and Vickery. As a young girl, Claire Ruby had to decide between
painting and classical piano. She chose painting because, "In music
there are rigid rules, plus hours and hours of repetitive practice.
In art you never do a painting over. Each canvas is a chance to express
a new feeling". She felt that there was never enough time in a day
to practice both; her choice was art, but her enjoyment of music inspires
and compliments art. Claire considers Impressionism to be one of the
most beautiful ways to express the feeling of an artist about a subject,
and her work evidences her serious professional commitment to fine
art. She is a disciplined artist who has mastered the fundamentals
of classical art; one who imbues her painting with a passion and sensitivity
felt at the moment of inspiration. She sums up her life as an artist
be stating, "I'm very happy to be a painter, to be able to put onto
canvas the beauty of what is around us instead of thinking about bad
things, I'm in my own private world there as soon as I go to the canvas".
Pictures by Artist Claire Ruby
Claire
Ruby Impressionist Paintings - Gardens - Landscapes - Flowers
