MAIRI-CLAIRE
Mairi-Claire is an Edinburgh-based artist whose practice moves between visual art, poetry, performance and play.
Her work explores spontaneous marks, overlooked moments and the ways we capture thoughts before they disappear.
Mairi-Claire is also co-founder and Director of Hame-ish Arts alongside her singer-songwriter husband Ed Ritchie.
ABOUT MAIRI-CLAIRE
For as long as Mairi-Claire can remember she has scribbled thoughts and ideas into notepads, or wherever there was space to make a mark. Her version, perhaps, of the detailed and beautiful doodles her Mum would craft as she mused over a crossword puzzle or daydreamed with the phone tucked between her shoulder and ear.
This fascination with spontaneous creativity sits at the heart of her work.
Moving between visual art, poetry, performance and play, Mairi-Claire explores overlooked moments, instinctive gestures and the creative potential of things that might otherwise be dismissed.
Her visual art practice begins with drawing and asks what happens when these marks meet unexpected materials and surfaces. Working through processes of layering, carving and excavation, she creates works that sit somewhere between drawing, painting and sculpture.
Mairi-Claire’s poetry and performance work includes This Is InverFayreSeat, a book-length poem and immersive theatre project exploring memory, place and the moments that shape us.
The project was longlisted by Nine Arches for their Primers award and received a New Voices award from Neu Reekie.
Mairi-Claire also explores clowning and play as creative practice, offering workshops informed by person-centred clowning approaches.
For as long as Mairi-Claire can remember she has scribbled thoughts and ideas into notepads, or wherever there was space to make a mark. Her version, perhaps, of the detailed and beautiful doodles her Mum would craft as she mused over a crossword puzzle or daydreamed with the phone tucked between her shoulder and ear.
This fascination with spontaneous creativity sits at the heart of her work.
Moving between visual art, poetry, performance and play, Mairi-Claire explores overlooked moments, instinctive gestures and the creative potential of things that might otherwise be dismissed.
Her visual art practice begins with drawing, often the underrated doodle, and asks what happens when these marks meet unexpected materials and surfaces. Working through processes of layering, carving and excavation, she creates works that sit somewhere between drawing, painting and sculpture.
Her first poem (apparently) told of the plight of Snowy, the guineapig who passed away shortly after having her cage moved to the back hall.
Mairi-Claire’s early childhood, and late-twenties/thirties were dominated by health challenges. Perhaps unsurprisingly therefore she is curious about moments in time that could go either way, and glimpses of expressions on people’s faces; there and then gone.
Mairi-Claire now lives in Edinburgh, on the west side, which makes it easier to nip back to Ayrshire where she grew up when she needs to recharge with her family and refill her senses with west coast sea air.
Her visual art practice begins with drawing, often the underrated doodle, and asks what happens when these marks meet unexpected materials and surfaces. Working through processes of layering, carving and excavation, she creates works that sit somewhere between drawing, painting and sculpture.
Her first poem (apparently) told of the plight of Snowy, the guineapig who passed away shortly after having her cage moved to the back hall.
Mairi-Claire’s early childhood, and late-twenties/thirties were dominated by health challenges. Perhaps unsurprisingly therefore she is curious about moments in time that could go either way, and glimpses of expressions on people’s faces; there and then gone.
Mairi-Claire now lives in Edinburgh, on the west side, which makes it easier to nip back to Ayrshire where she grew up when she needs to recharge with her family and refill her senses with west coast sea air.
Part one of Mairi-Claire’s poetry play This is InverFayreSeat was longlisted by Nine Arches for their Primers award and received a New Voices award from Neu Reekie.
This Is InverFayreSeat is now a book-length poem and Mairi-Claire is working on developing it as a theatre piece. To this end she led a full cast sharing in April 2023 – find more information and view clips visit the Projects page.
Part one of Mairi-Claire’s poetry play This is InverFayreSeat was longlisted by Nine Arches for their Primers award and received a New Voices award from Neu Reekie.
This Is InverFayreSeat is now a book-length poem and Mairi-Claire is working on developing it as a theatre piece. To this end she led a full cast sharing in April 2023 – find more information and view clips visit the Projects page.
Mairi-Claire is excited by the synergies across creative practices and enjoys opportunities for collaboration and exploration. This fascination inspired Hame-ish, which Mairi-Claire began running with her singer-songwriter husband Ed Ritchie in 2018. Each Hame-ish is devised with a line-up of musicians and poets, and with the tagline- ‘a night out that feels like a night in’. These nights are now a core offering from Hame-ish Arts CIC- founded in 2023 by Mairi-Claire and Ed.
Mairi-Claire now lives in Edinburgh, on the west side, which makes it easier to nip back to Ayrshire where she grew up when she needs to recharge with her family and refill her senses with west coast sea air.
WORK WITH MAIRI-CLAIRE
If you are interested in working with Mairi-Claire on a creative project then please get in touch below.