In Conversation with Holly Clarke

We're always drawn to work made with intention, so we're delighted to welcome the paintings of Holly Clarke into our showrooms.

Holly is a local artist whose practice is grounded in earth pigments, natural mediums, and a slow, tactile process — one shaped by a childhood spent roaming the forests and mudflats near Matakana, and years spent working in textile design. Her abstract, intuitive paintings aren't about depicting a place so much as capturing a feeling: a quiet sense of calm and presence that mirrors the way we think about the spaces we create at Kayu. We sat down with Holly to talk about her influences, her process, and what it means to create art that people can genuinely live with.

Can you tell us a bit about your journey into art — was there a moment you knew this was the path for you?

I remember standing in front of a painting when I was about five years old and knowing, with surprising certainty, that I wanted to be an artist. I pursued painting and design throughout high school and loved them both, but at the time I couldn’t see a clear career path in fine art. Instead, I built a career in design, which I equally enjoyed and spent many fulfilling years working in. It wasn’t until midlife that I began searching for a deeper sense of purpose. The dream I’d parked for my retirement years kept calling me back. Eventually I asked myself, if not now, then when? And the answer changed my life.

Who or what has shaped your work most — other artists, places, people, or experiences?

I spent part of my childhood on a farm near Matakana, roaming freely through forests, hay barns, rivers and mudflats with my sister. We explored the world through our senses, led by curiosity and a love of adventure. Those years cultivated a deep tactile relationship with the natural world that still shapes my work today. In my twenties I studied fashion design in Florence, Italy. Alongside discovering a love of textiles, I found myself captivated by conversations with friends studying art restoration. Learning how the Old Masters painted with earth pigments, and wandering through the legendary art store Zecchi with its apothecary glass jars filled with coloured pigments, it left a lasting impression. Looking back, I think both those experiences planted the seeds for the way I work today.

Walk us through what a typical day in the studio looks like for you.

No two days are quite the same, which is one of the things I love about creative work. I usually keep mornings for emails and the business side of running a creative practice before heading out to my garden studio after lunch. Some days I’m grinding earth pigments by hand with a mortar and pestle or mixing a fresh batch of soft pastels to create some new colours to draw and paint with. Other days I’m stretching and preparing a canvas, or building up layers on a new painting. It’s a slow, tactile process that asks for presence, and I enjoy that pace and rhythm.

Where does a piece usually begin and how do you know when it is finished?

Most works begin with an experience, often after time spent in nature. Alongside that a handful of ideas about something I’d like to explore, perhaps a colour relationship, a composition, or a sensation or feeling I can’t quite put into words yet. I rarely begin with a fixed plan. I trust the process and allow the painting to unfold intuitively, going with the flow and responding to each layer as it appears. I know a painting is finished when everything feels resolved. There’s a sense that nothing more needs to be added or taken away.

What materials or techniques are central to your practice, and why do they suit the way you work?

Earth pigments sit at the heart of my practice. I work with responsibly sourced (Green rated) or locally harvested pigments, alongside non-toxic, natural mediums and varnishes. It feels fitting that work inspired by nature is created with materials from nature. There’s something deeply satisfying about painting with pigments once used by the Old Masters for centuries, because they endure. They carry an incredible richness and vibrancy, and they have a velvet-like quality that absorbs light in a way modern paints often don’t. The surface almost feels like fabric, inviting you to slow down and take a closer look. 

How would you describe your creative philosophy in a few words?

I create sanctuaries for the senses. My work invites people to slow down, become present, and reconnect with their inner landscapes through the senses. Using soft colours, tactile textures and natural materials, each painting offers a quiet moment of calm, ease and restoration.

How has your work changed or evolved over the years?

When I first began painting, my work was representational, tropical gardens in sun-faded hues, painted with chalk paint. In many ways it reflected the world I knew as a former textile designer. But I’d always been drawn to abstraction and knew, one day, I wanted to explore it more deeply. Intuitive painting asked something very different of me. It required more trust, more courage, and a willingness to let go of certainty. Instead of painting places, I became interested in painting sensations, moments in time and experiences held in the body. My work has become freer, looser and braver. I’m still creating sanctuaries, but now they’re less about the landscape itself and more about how it feels to be within it.

What does creativity mean to you outside of your art practice?

Creativity has enriched every part of my life, not just my studio practice. It has introduced me to wonderful people, unexpected opportunities and experiences I never imagined I’d have. More than anything, it’s taught me to trust my own curiosity and to see the world through my own unique lens. It has also has shown me that uncertainty is actually possibility in disguise. It has given me a deep sense of purpose and continues to make life feel richer, more connected and endlessly fascinating.

How do you think about art within a home — what makes a piece feel 'right' in a space?

Art is personal because we all bring our own memories, emotions and experiences to what we see. Rather than asking, “What matches my furniture?” I think a better question is, “How do I want this space to feel?” Do you want more calm? More warmth? More life? More stillness? The right artwork will shape the atmosphere of a room, becoming something you experience every day rather than simply something you look at.

What kind of spaces or interiors do you feel your work suits best?

My work naturally finds a home in spaces designed for slowing down, living rooms, bedrooms, reading nooks and wellness spaces. Interiors that embrace natural materials, textures and a thoughtful simplicity feel especially well suited. Places where people gather, pause, rest and restore. It is my wish that each painting contributes to that feeling by creating a sanctuary within a space.

Do you have any particular objects in your own home that inspire you day to day?

Years ago, on a trip to Blenheim, I fell in love with a large handmade ceramic bowl by Fran Maguire. You can see every tactile mark where the clay was stretched and pulled into its loose organic form. The raw edges and openings make it feel more like a sculpture than a bowl. Every mark tells the story of how it came into being. It’s honest, imperfect and beautifully made. I think that’s something I strive for in my own work too.

What are you working on next, or what's exciting you creatively at the moment?

I’m currently working on a new body of work exploring a softer earth-based palette of chocolate browns, warm beiges and muted pink clays. I’m interested in creating paintings that explore our inner landscapes through the senses, works that feel more intimate and deeply embodied. It feels like a natural evolution of my practice, and I’m excited to see where it leads.

Click here to view our collection of Holly Clarke original artworks.