Claire Le Day

Claire Le Day is an emerging artist whose practice has developed through a return to painting after many years. After choosing a career in medicine in 2001, she set aside her early passion for art. A few years ago, while self-publishing her teenage diaries (written under the nom de plume Claire Le Day) she rediscovered painting by creating her book cover and returning to art with a renewed sense of purpose.

Since then, Claire has committed regular time each week to her practice, working from a shared studio in Exeter and undertaking commissions. Her work focuses on contemporary portraiture and personal storytelling, exploring themes of memory, identity, and emotion through layered surfaces and intuitive mark-making.

Alongside her own work, Claire is dedicated to supporting other artists. She recently curated Not a Pretty Landscape, a two-day exhibition in Exeter featuring 15 artists from across the South West. The exhibition created an inclusive and supportive platform where all artists retained their profits.

Claire continues to develop her practice while contributing to a growing and accessible local arts community.