Meet the Artist: Clare McFadden
Mia Macrossan talks to Clare McFadden, who is a writer, artist and educator. She has worked in arts education with children, young people, and communities in both Australia and the United States. Her first book, The Flying Orchestra, was awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Crichton Award, was selected as one of the “50 Books You Can’t Put Down”, was adapted for the stage as the headlining work at the “Out of the Box” Festival and listed as one of the Australian Booksellers’ Association’s 50 Favourite Children’s Books. Her second book, Book of Hours, is out now.
Clare McFadden is one of the artists exhibiting her work at the 2025 Book Links Exhibition: StoryArt at the Richard Randall Gallery 4 -13 April.
When did you realise that you wanted to be an artist?
I did a lot of drawing from a very early age – from when I could hold a pen at 18 months old. So I think this is just who I always was, rather than having a realisation as such. A couple of years ago I saw a GOCA (Gallery of Children’s Art) exhibition which displayed adult artists’ work alongside the artwork they had created as children. The thing that struck me about it, although this is really not that surprising, is that the style of their art had not drastically changed. All to say, I think if you’re an artist, maybe you’ve always been an artist? There are those artists who discover their art later in life of course, but perhaps they’ve always had a particular sensitivity/way of seeing the world?
Favourite Artists? I was deeply moved by the work of Shirley Hughes as a child. I think she had the ability to honour the emotional gravity of the child’s world. What might seem not a big deal to an adult (being locked in the house ahead of your mum (Alfie Gets in First), getting used to a new house (Moving Molly) and then of course Dogger (the ultimate emotional rollercoaster – I can’t even summarize it you must read it!). I clearly remember Julie Vivas’s illustrations – particularly her illustrations for Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge – and the colours and dreamlike quality of the images. I remember reading books by Janet and Allan Ahlberg to my younger siblings and appreciating their artwork and the detail in it. I was struck by Jane Tanner’s work in the way that a realistic style was used to depict a fantastical story in There’s a Sea in my Bedroom. I remember other illustrations that made an impression on me, even if I found them a little dark – Jenny Wagner’s work springs to mind in this way The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek and John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat – I still remember those inky dark cross hatched illustrations – I think all these different styles of art you experience as a child shape your artistic sensibility.
What is your preferred medium to work in? I generally work in acrylics on rag paper – the rag paper is very absorbent so you can use the acrylics in a similar way to watercolours – but I think acrylics are a bit more forgiving as a medium and I really like layering paint which you can’t do as much with watercolour.
How would you describe your art style? A little girl once described my illustrations as ‘real life paintings’ which is a big compliment – I think they probably do have a painterly quality. I paint/draw realistic landscapes populated by less realistic looking characters (although realistic to the world of the book I hope!)
Where and when and how do you work? As I’m a writer and illustrator I probably have the idea for the book first, and write a basic draft, and from there map out the illustrations. Of course, in picture books, illustrations play a critical role in telling the story – so as part of this process I’d be thinking about what parts of the story can be told through pictures. Book of Hours was a really hard book to plan out as I was spanning the character’s whole lifetime and different locations – so I had to create the whole world of the book. It took me a really long time to begin to see this world in my head and be confident about it. I even thought at one point that I should make a model of key locations in the book so I knew where everything was (If I look out the window of the cottage – will I always see the sea? – these kinds of practical questions ) I did so much research for this book too – what sort of aeroplane would you make an international flight on if you were leaving Australia in the 1970s?. This attention to detail means the book feels real to the reader – it grounds it in its own world – even if that world is semi-fantastical.
What are the challenges of creating both text and art? I illustrate my own books and so I do like to be able to think of the whole project as telling a story – and then using both words and pictures to achieve that.
Is there an iconic children’s work that you would like to illustrate? Well, I would feel very anxious about doing a beloved work justice.. I have been rereading Storm Boy and I’m so struck at what a brilliant writer Thiele is – he has an incredible command of language – very poetic, strong imagery, and a real sensitivity. I’m just going to reach for the stars over the Coorong and say Storm Boy.
Is/are there artist/s working today that you admire? Freya Blackwood! Just recently I saw an illustration she did of a butcher bird (it was just a tiny sketch as part of a larger piece) and she captured its kind and curious little face in just a few lines. Freya also has that same sensitivity in her work that Hughes had.
Can you tell us something about the pieces that you are going to exhibit at the Richard Randall Art Studio? I have selected a few pieces from Book of Hours and The Flying Orchestra – as well as some of my earlier sketches and notes. I wanted to include these as I think sometimes children see (and in fact all of us, not just children) the finished book as a product and it’s hard to imagine that it came from the same place that a child’s story or drawing comes from – a pen on paper (complete with lots of messy writing and mistakes and failed attempts).
Come and see Clare’s work at the The StoryArt Exhibition, an annual event showcasing local artist-illustrators whose work includes creating beautiful books for children. The participants will have illustrations, models and other art on display.
Books and artworks will be available for purchase.
Join us for UP LATE at the Book Links Story Art Exhibition.
Friday 4 April, from 5:00pm @Richard Randall Art Studio, Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens.
Free admission – bookings open now.
Artists exhibiting this year are:
Niña Nill – Kittens Do Not Care For Baths by Ali Rutstein, Published by Hardie Grant, Oct 2024; Ladybirds Do Not Go To Day Care written by Ali Rutstein, Published by Hardie Grant, Nov 2023; We’re Moving Away Hardie Grant Aug 2023;
Sue Wright – polymer clay sculptures of mythical and fictional creatures, Tiny Owl
Brent Wilson – Frog, Log and Dave Almost Save the Day by Trent Jamieson Published by Penguin 4 March 2025, Laugh in the Bath by Rory Mather Published by Affirm Press January 2025; Mr Impoppable by Trent Jamieson Larrikin House May 2024
Clare McFadden – The Book of Hours published by Walker Books April 2024; The Flying Orchestra published by UQP 2019
Blithe Fielden – Dinosaur in My Pocket (Ashleigh Barton) Published by Lothian (Hachette) March 2024
Hélène Magisson – Mumma Bear by Rory Mather, Noisy Noisy City written by Andrew Kelly; Willow’s Gumboots by Beverley McWilliams; All About Magical Creatures Written by Izzy Quinn
Terry Whidborne
