I won an ArtCall with LIBERTY LONDON!

Earlier this year one of my Instagram followers Jenny Bohn sent me a message - ‘Clare you should enter this with your wonderful painting’. It was a link to an Artist’s Call that Liberty London (the iconic Department Store) had published online. The Liberty London Store team was looking for artists and illustrators who had depicted the building in their artwork. Honestly I have the best clients and supporters! I might have never seen the ArtCall if it wasn’t for Jenny. I thanked Jenny and made the entry with my painting including a close up of the Flower shop detail and one of me with the painting in the snow outside my studio...then proceeded to forget all about it!

I had started my next paintings in the London Landmark series of The Michelin Building and Fortnum & Masons Building - I was busy working on those. Each of the London architectural paintings can take months to complete as they are built up in layers with painting and printmaking.

I had chosen to create Liberty London as the first Landmark in my series of London mixed media paintings on canvas. I used to go there as an art student and stare wistfully at the beautiful fabrics on display and all the colourful silks dreaming I’d be able to own or design some pieces in the shop.

My London Landmarks series was a natural evolution from my successful Singapore Landmarks series created whilst I was resident in Singapore as an expat for 8 years. Returning to London many of my clients asked me if I would be painting the architecture and Landmarks of London. I created this first piece in the series of the Liberty London Store Entrance on a 150 x 122 cm canvas in acrylic, using mono print on rice paper for the delicate figures - the Liberty Shoppers at the Wild at Heart Flower Shop that spills out onto Great Marlborough Street.

One morning some weeks later I opened my emails and was over the moon to receive one from the Liberty Team to say my painting was one of the winners and would be featured in The Liberty Book Issue 03! It is a beautiful stylebook, a coffee table book of stylish things and people so I was completely thrilled to have been chosen. The team said that they loved the illustrations of the Liberty Shoppers outside perusing the colourful flowers at the flower shop.

This is what the team at Liberty Say about the book:

‘The Liberty Book, our collectable bi-annual coffee table publication is packed with insightful features, interviews and artworks that speak to our heritage and celebrate the established designers, emerging talents and creative community who make us.

Our third Book is inspired by Liberty’s history as a haven for creatives since 1875. The ‘Art. Craft. Discovery’ issue shines a light on the artists, creators, writers and makers who place value on originality, handiwork and skilful craft.’

It is such a great feeling to have your work recognized as an artist and I loved seeing the other illustrators & artists who had also been selected when the book arrived in the studio ♥

I have now released this winning painting as a Fine Art Edition Print. It is printed on Cotton Rag German Hahnemühle Paper, which translates the colours beautifully!

I sign each print and give it an individual edition number out of 250 then each print is rolled and wrapped in crisp white tissue and it is tied with a pink branded ribbon with a gift tag.

We also pop in a Framing Pack with a Picture Label for the back of the frame.

Each print is £285 including tracked shipping anywhere in the world.

The first Liberty London Fine Art Prints I sold went to collectors in Florida and California. This week I received a beautiful testimonial from a fellow entrepreneur in West London Alex who has just had her Liberty London Print framed for her home in Chiswick.

Testimonial:

‘So for almost 4 years I have wanted a piece of CLARE HAXBY artwork hanging in my home.
Well here it is! I am absolutely in love with this piece.
I bought this beautiful Liberty of London Piece at Christmas  and with everything that has happened it didn’t get framed, until my husband surprised me on my birthday with it finally done. It is hanging in our reception and I love love love it!
Up Next ... Fortnum and Mason??? Watch this space.’

- Alex Willis, West London
   August 2020

I am so grateful for every collector and supporter of my work as each one allows me to follow my life’s purpose of creating Art.