Claire Wright
Artist Statement
I am an avid nature explorer, a biologist by training and a rock climber by passion, my photography is intimately connected to nature. I attempt to comprehend its essence, the essence of life, by capturing shapes, textures, patterns, and colors. My photographs can be close-ups or aerial shots, often puzzling to our naked eye, yet we sense their beauty and familiarity when revealed by the camera.
For as long as I can recall, woods, fields, and mountains have been my refuge, the place I go to recenter, to find comfort in beauty. As a biologist, I developed a fascination for views that are invisible to the naked eye. The microscope coupled with a camera revealed a secret world, beautiful and utterly interesting. Outside the lab, I was a passionate rock climber. I loved going up to reach a place where I could look down and watch birds of prey flying below my feet, where I could feel forests were green oceans. I would bring a camera when I could to capture climbing actions and the improbable views. When the first commercial drones became available for a reasonable price, I imagined all the possibilities, the incredible views, the unique perspectives, so naturally I bought one. Each time I fly my drone, I am mesmerized by the wonders the camera can capture. Aerial photography, like macrophotography, transports me into a world with a scale of its own. A landscape from high up can become the inside of a cell, and the close-up of the leaf can be a city map. I don’t always see the final object/landscape while I take the picture, sometimes it uncovers its secret potential on my computer screen.
Most of my pictures are taken locally, near my home in Montgomery County, but they can also be taken in France, where I grew up.
