Sussex artist donates painting to fundraising winter ball event in Brighton

Cranes Bill Pentagons, Oil on Board, By Claire Harrison

Sussex based artist, Claire Harrison, has donated one of her brightly coloured, large oil paintings to local charity, Focus Foundation, who are hosting a Winter Ball at the The Hilton Brighton Metropole on February 4.

The Winter Ball will include a charity auction to raise money for grassroots, Sussex based charities that support underprivileged children, mental health initiatives.

Claire who relocated her home and studio to the heart of the Sussex countryside nearly 14 years ago has been inspired by the local landscape ever since. Claire is passionate about both art and the environment and her artwork frequently focuses on wildflowers. The brightly coloured donated artwork ‘Cranes Bill Pentagons’ is no exception as these tiny indigenous wildflowers, Cranes Bill, used to be frequently found in the countryside.

As these delicate blooms are harder to find in the wild, Claire grows these wildflowers from seed in her garden to both support the local ecosystem but also document and draw the growing flower as part of her creative process. These delicate flowers are five-petalled wonders because their outside edges create a pentagon. They are yet another mathematical wonder of the natural world, which, Claire has been fascinated with and researched for many years.

Claire started painting flowers when she was three and has been a practising artist since graduating in Fine Art BA (HONS) in 2001. Claire has exhibited in both the UK and abroad and is in both public and private collections in the UK and China. Claire has always been inspired by the nature and countryside that surrounds her. Claire prides herself on creating original artworks, which approach the British Landscape tradition in an entirely new way.

Focus Foundation is a local grant-giving charity and the philanthropic arm of Focus Group, one of the UK’s leading providers of essential business technology, based in Shoreham. Focus Foundation’s mission is to connect communities to make a positive and lasting difference to people’s lives.

The Winter Ball is the Focus Foundation’s biggest event yet and is a black-tie function that will be packed with entertainment, including performances by the top talent from the Sussex Superstars heats, who will be competing in a LIVE grand finale on the night. Thanks to support from Focus Group, all profit from table sales, all the money raised on the night and all the sponsor/partner income will go to Focus Foundation and be ringfenced to be granted to charities in Sussex.

To find out more about Claire’s work visit her website, www.claire-harrison.co.ukTo purchase a table at the Winter Ball at The Hilton Brighton Metropole on the 4th Feb 2023 email the Focus Foundation here, [email protected]