Claire Hardy

Claire grew up in California, often drawing. An art teacher in middle school taught her how to shade to create the illusion of form and she has been drawing realistically since. She continued taking art classes through college while earning a business degree at the University of New Mexico. It wasn't enough. A few years after graduation, while working as a graphic designer, she sought classical instruction which brought her to study at the Art Institute of Florence in Italy. Here she began to throw herself into oil painting.

 She then moved to Sewickley, PA, working as a graphic designer by day but painting small still lifes by night. Claire began showing paintings in local galleries and then in Santa Fe, NM. For years she served on the executive board of the Pittsburgh Society of Artists, promoting art throughout the area. She continues to study and experiment with oil painting, always eager to learn from the next painting. Her work is found in numerous collections in the Pittsburgh area, in the Southwest, and in Europe.