How does one connect with the land? That question awakened the creative spirit in Claire Molina. While working on her bachelor’s degree in fine arts at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design near Denver, Molina spent time exploring the foothills of mountains rich with mineral deposits.
She was amazed to discover colors in the earth that she had never before noticed: “A red rock that reminded me of sunsets, tiny yellow balls of clay I dug from a creek bed that reminded me of golds and blues in the mountainsides that I couldn’t believe came from the earth and not the sky.”
To Molina, these seemed to be colors so organic that they could not be replicated or synthesized outside of nature. And thus began her journey as an earth-pigment artist whose work blends fine art, ecology and natural history.
These days, she creates in a home studio in Okahumpka, located in rural Lake County, on her Human Nature Project—three bodies of work in chronological segments that explore the deep sensory and psychological relationship between humans and the natural environment.
The first segment, Origins, is on display from September 11 to October 23 at the Leesburg Arts Center, where Molina is the associate director. She was also the recipient earlier this year of a United Arts of Central Florida Individual Artist Award.
In Origins, you’ll see paintings, prints, sculptures and even a photo created with natural botanical elements, ceramic glazes, printmaking inks and soil-based earth pigments. The pieces explore such themes as the seasons and the elements, and the ways in which humans relate to the natural environment of the planet.
Leesburg Arts Center is located at 122 West Main Street, Leesburg. For more information, call 352.365.0232 or visit leesburgarts.com.
