Each layer of paint is an attempt to interpret a moment in time that would have otherwise been overlooked or forgotten, and evokes a reminiscence that is slowly, and sometimes resistantly fading away.

Drawing from her personal experiences, Clarke’s work shares her affinity for the unexplained and unusual. Her subjects are often rendered through the use of contrasting themes – dark and light, hot and cold, left and right, or happy and melancholic expressions, leaving room for interpretation. She is deeply influenced by the personal experience of her childhood, and frequently references old family photo albums, collected letters and notes, as well as films and books that continue to pervade her own thoughts and memories.

Although Clarke may begin a painting from a concrete reference, as she paints, she looks at it less and less, allowing herself the chance to expose and interpret subtleties in everyday moments that are often unseen. Imagination and wonder become key elements in her work, and the reference becomes only a small piece in her process, sensed only as but a fleeting imprint embedded within the end result, creating the space for a life both beyond and outside of the original moment. Through her art, Clarke seeks to capture the fleeting essence of childhood and its enigmas, giving shape and colour to memories and emotions that are difficult to articulate in words, but that linger within us long after we have grown up.