Claire Baxter Fine Art began in 2008...
I am a Yorkshire oil painter and incredibly proud of my home county. Working in oil, I paint Yorkshire towns and landscapes in a quirky, fun and colourful style. I want to tell stories in a ‘snap shot’ where the characters represent us, people we know, our family, friends and true Yorkshire grit! This is why you never see their faces – they are for you to recognise. The story is yours! With evocative titles, they spark memories, emotions and humour.
I start each piece using many photographs of Yorkshire, sketch the sections I wish to use, decide on the story and the characters, sketch the characters from imagination and then drop my sketches into Photoshop to manipulate them into a composition. This allows me the freedom to move things around without the use of a rubber!! From there, I am able to draw and then enjoy the painting process, using oils to build up layers of detail.
I started selling my work in my local park in Harrogate back in 2008, hanging it off railings and on benches whilst juggling very small children and a teaching career. Having left teaching in 2014 and with lots of perseverance, I opened my first gallery in 2019.
The Claire Baxter Gallery in the heart of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, not only my work, but the work of other local artists too. I have many collectors both Nationally and Internationally, hopefully bringing joy to many!
Accolades
My work has been recognised for both artistic excellence and business achievement, and I have been fortunate enough to be part of exciting projects and awards across Yorkshire and the UK including:
- Finalist for Woman Who Solopreneur Awards (2025)
- Official Artist for Yorkshire Day (2025)
- Official Artist for the Great Knaresborough Bed Race (2024)
- Winner of Best Rural Business, Harrogate Business Awards (2023)
- Winner of Favourite New Business, Knaresborough Business Awards (2023)
- Finalist for Best Retail Business and Best Independent Business, Harrogate Business Awards (2023–2025)
- Finalist for UK’s Most Popular Published Artist, Fine Art Trade Guild (2022)
- Official Artist for Tour de Yorkshire (2020)