User:Wayne3/Claire Ankenman

Claire Ankenman-Mixed Media Artist

Claire Ankenman is a Texas Artist specializing in the medium of Mixed-Media

Born Claire Henderson in Victoria, Texas on November 16, 1947, Claire is the daughter of Richard and Anna Claire Henderson. She has one sibling, a sister named Suzanne Kerr, nee' Henderson. Claire was raised in Victoria and is a graduate of the University of Texas. She is married to Wayne D. Ankenman Jr. and is the mother of two children-Anna Katherine Ankenman and Wayne D. Ankenman III. Claire resides in and works out of Houston, Texas.

Claire studied for 6 years at the Glassell School of Art in Houston, Texas and her works have been shown in many galleries in Texas and around the U.S.-namely The Moody Gallery and the New Gallery in Houston, as well as The Stark Gallery and The Stux Gallery in New York City. Her works are also including in many private collections as well. She has had 6 solo exhibitions and has been featured in 14 Group Exhibitions. Her works are among the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH), as well as the corporate collections of the U.S. Trust in Dallas, and the AT&T Collection in San Antonio. Claire's work has been reviewed by numerous publications including The New Yorker, Architectural Digest, The Houston Press, and The Houston Chronicle.

Her medium is mixed media and she rarely works with the same materials twice-from mylar and canvas to coffee and tea staining, her pieces vary widely. Her works tend to explore womanhood in an abstract manner, using different materials to shield, obscure, and mask the center piece. She has also experimented with the physical alteration of her materials-slicing, cutting, and ripping them.

Her works span a wide range of emotions-from soft and bright to dark and sombre. Claire is known for her manipulation of color and light as well as for her experimentation with negative space. She has been showing now for 20 years and her body of work reflects an upward evolution of style and character.

Her most recent show, entitled "Phases", was held at the Moody Gallery in Houston from June 5th to July 3rd 2010. Of her 2008 show, entitled "Slices", Troy Schulze and Sean Carroll, writing for the Houston Press, said, "It becomes clear that Ankenman is exploring something deeper than just cutting; she's delving into the effects of penetration and the scars left behind."