A WELLINGTON artist is sharing a new collection of work in her exhibition Making Space, inspired by her experience living with Long Covid.

Former Head of Art at King’s College Taunton, Clare Schmidt Norris is currently showing a collection of mixed medium work at Fore Street’s Eliza House Gallery, which is open to the public at the end of this week.

Making Space is a gentle exploration of the artist’s life with Long Covid which she endured for two and a half years. During this time, Clare says she was forced into rest and calm, which she chose to embrace in southern France.

It is a combination of both her suffering and her time in Europe that has brought this show to life, inspiring not only the distinctive soft-toned colour palette, but also the simplicity of design.

Her work, she says, became limited by her fatigue, which ultimately shaped its nature, leading to the creation of smaller pieces that could be easily assembled. We see this in her careful layering of fabric and enmeshing woven materials in plaster.

Clare said: “Because of my Covid, I had to change the way that I work. My creativity has become part of my recovery journey.

“Everything in my life was calmed down, everything was slowed, so I wanted to create a space that was quiet and reflective, to give visitors time to pause.”

The show is part of Clare’s dissertation for her Master’s degree in Education (Artist Teacher Practice) at Oxford Brookes, which is perhaps why she offers the viewer such an insight into her creative process which is palpable across the exhibition’s two rooms.

Making Space starts with a curation of her notebooks, sample works, and images of southern France. In the second room, a selection of pieces made from a range of wood, perspex, fabric, plaster, and acrylic paint, are the final product of three years of work.

Making Space is showing at Eliza House Gallery from Friday, May 30, until Saturday, May 31, 11am to 3pm.