Holly Clarke Studios

Home
New Zealand
Auckland
Holly Clarke Studios

Directions Website

Sensorial earth pigment paintings invited you to step out of the busyness of life into a softer space. Original paintings + limited edition prints + workshops.

View artwork https://www.hollyclarkestudios.com An emerging contemporary botanical artist from Auckland with three decades experience as a designer specialising in textile & surface pattern design. Her artwork offers havens of respite, a place where one can unwind find lightness & immerse themselves in a tropical experience. Following the loss of her father she sort solace in Indonesia where she discovered first hand the healing qualities of the exuberant & exotic gardens that flourished. Whilst embracing grief she found her muse of calm & peace, a stillness of natural beauty. Filled with gentle swaying bold plants, luscious leaves & unusual flowers she found her ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Filled with unusual shapes, colours & textures, a wild jungle that delighted the senses. Her unique colour palette with soft earthy tones, harmonises & styles effortlessly with natural interior spaces. Using predominantly mineral pigments, reminiscent of the limestone frescos that captivated her during the eight years she spent in Italy. She is committed to finding & sourcing natural mediums & materials for her work, including biodegradable or compostable packaging. To create a sustainable art practice in harmony with our environment. Although not yet perfect or where she wants it to be, it is a work in progress to continually improve. Open to collaborations & creative projects, she welcomes inquiries about her latest creations & potential commissions. https://www.hollyclarkestudios.com/home

26/10/2026

Each limited edition print comes with an authenticity certificate, hand signed and numbered. The 200gsm museum quality paper and the optional Ash box frames are both FSC certified.

The framed prints are bubble wrapped and with a custom envelop cardboard box, which wraps around the entire frame. And includes extra reinforcing inside the box to protect the corners.

If in the rare event that something arrives damaged, I am happy to replace it. Just take photos of the packaging and any damage and email me asap.

Any queries please dm me.

Holly x

23/10/2026

A little milestone I’m excited to share … my very first solo exhibition!
‘Sanctuaries for the Senses’

I was delighted to be invited by Pippa Mothersole to exhibit my work at the Angela Morton Room, Takapuna Library.

This exhibition is a peek inside my creative world. An exploration of my relationship with nature, earth pigments, natural materials and the senses.

From raw earth to pigment, from curiosity and experimentation to the finished painting. A chance to see some of the processes, textures and materials behind my work.

At the heart of it is something I keep returning to, the freedom to slow down, follow our senses, surrender a little control and reconnect with ourselves and the natural world.

I’m looking forward to sharing this part of my practice with you, and I’d love you to come along.

SANCTUARIES FOR THE SENSES

📍 Angela Morton Room, Takapuna Library
9 The Strand, Takapuna, Auckland

Exhibition: 24 October – 21 November 2026
Opening drinks: Sunday 1 November, 11am–12pm

Come and say hello, explore the work and take a little time out for your senses.

Holly x

21/10/2026

It began with a rip-snorting game of stuck in the mud.
My sister and I would laugh so hard that one of us would go down in it!

Life on our farm was one big playground.
Rivers and mudflats, haybarns and forests. As kids of the 70s, “go outside and play” was how we were raised.

Being in nature, playing with it and using our senses to explore was how we made sense of the world around us.
It was fun and joyful. We were wild and free. And sometimes pretty muddy.

Decades later, I’ve found myself returning to a similar playground. Only now, it’s through my art practice.
Playing with earth pigments, movement and the senses, with that same curiosity and a desire to break a few rules.

But there’s something I learnt on the farm that’s stayed with me.

Nature, is in charge.
We like to think we can control it. Tame it. Make it behave!

But what if, instead of trying to control it, we worked with it?
Listened. Sensed. Responded.
Allowed ourselves to be surprised.

Perhaps freedom isn’t about being in control.
Perhaps it’s about trusting the uncertainty and knowing when to let go.

To surrender to joy, to play, and to feel connected to something much bigger than ourselves.

Holly x

19/10/2026

The afternoon light creates such a mood on this Bloomlight piece.

Each of my limited edition prints come with an authenticity certificate, hand signed and numbered. The museum quality paper and Ash box frames are both FSC certified and the print quality is incredibly detailed.

The framed prints are bubble wrapped and sit inside a custom envelop cardboard box, which wraps around the frame. And includes extra reinforcing inside the box to protect the corners.

If in the rare event that something arrives damaged, I am happy to replace it. Just take photos of the packaging and any damage and email me asap.

If you’d like to view the limited edition print collection please go to hollyclarkestudios.com.

Holly x

16/10/2026

A flurry of artist proofs have arrived from the printers. I’m so happy with them, the colour, saturation, fsc paper, photography of the originals is amazing. And I am not just saying that. After working as a designer for many moons this is something I’ve become rather fussy about. Quality in every step along the way shows up in the end results. If I’m thrilled about it, maybe you might be too.

Holly x

14/10/2026

My first solo exhibition will be held at the Angela Morton room, at the Takapuna Library in Auckland. Opening the 24th October - November 21st. Drinks and nibbles are on the Sunday 1st Nov from 11am - 12. Come by and say hello. I’d love to chat.

Holly x

12/10/2026

“Just one more load of washing.”
Said no woman, ever.

Yet somehow, there's always another load.
The emotional load.
The workload.
The planning, cooking, cleaning load.
The remembering-everything-for-everyone-else load.

And even when we stop doing, we're often still thinking about it.
But what if we gave ourselves permission to put it all down, even for a moment?

To hear our own breath.
Our own voice.
Our own needs.
To surrender and let go, rather than push through.

When I step into my art studio, I leave the laundry list of life at the door.
I exhale. Take off the armour. Find my own natural rhythm.
And for a little while, I can listen to my intuition instead of my to-do list.

I can play. Explore. Follow my curiosity.
Feel whatever I've been too busy to notice.
And that's where each painting begins.

Not with a perfectly planned outcome, but with the freedom to let go.
To explore stillness and movement,
softness and strength,
vulnerability and courage.

Perhaps that's what I love most about abstraction.
It doesn't tell us what to think or feel.
It leaves room for us to feel something of our own.
A little permission slip to pause, exhale and just be ourselves.

Holly x

09/10/2026

Gathering Light has now sold. Thank you to the collector. I am incredibly grateful and I hope it beings you as much joy as I had making it.

Holly x

07/10/2026

Hi, I’m Holly from Aotearoa, New Zealand. I create sensorial earth-pigment paintings where our inner and outer landscapes blur.

After decades working in fashion, textile and brand design, I became an eco-artist and developed a unique process using handmade pigments and a tactile method of painting. My work explores how reconnecting with nature helps us return to our instincts and inner sovereignty.

If you’d like to learn more about my art practice please go to Hollyclarkestudios.com

Holly x

05/10/2026

Turning earth pigments into pastels and paint by hand is a somatic practice. Switching off my thinking mind and using intuition instead pulls me into the present moment. There is no past or future. Only what is happening right in front of me.

With no exact recipe to follow it is much like making bread. You need to feel it to know what to add, or do next.

Intuition being the guiding force, it asks you to be in the moment.
If you’d like to learn more about my intuitive painting practice please go to hollyclarkestudios.com

Holly x

Address

Meadowbank
Auckland
1072

Website

http://Hollyclarkestudios.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Holly Clarke Studios posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.