Buckeyes Ed. 1 of 30

I first spotted these gorgeous heirloom buckeye tomatoes at the Adelaide Markets. I now lurk in produce stores rearranging tomatoes and taking photos. Not just the colour, but the quirky luscious shapes make them exquisite tactile objects, imbued with the promise of flavour. On mass they evoke the anticipation of a loving slightly riotous gathering of family and friends, one of my favourite activities.

Buckeyes are a representation of heart and sharing, so that as a painting they create a lovely atmosphere of joy.

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Claire Lai has almost always lived in Southeast Queensland. The diverse environments of inner city, rainforest, rural and coastal have been a source of finding detail and wonder in the natural and suggestions of narrative and identity within the urban. With a background in science and English literature, close observation has been a preoccupation and pleasure throughout her life. Expressing this through her life-long obsession with art and colour has brought her many different interests together.

Claire utilises techniques of modernism and realism to create oil paintings and soft pastel drawings that capture the beauty and detail of their subjects.

Claire Lai began exhibiting, receiving commissions, and selling her work within Australia in 2020. She was a highly commended finalist in the 2024 Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Awards and the 2024 Ipswich Art Awards art awards and participates in group shows in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.