Nard Claar

Nard Claar has a Bachelor of Art Degree from Colorado State University. He has a Masters Degree and completed graduate studies at The University of Colorado and Master’s Institute. He has studied art with Skip Lawrence, Christopher Schink, Katherine Chang Liu, Alex Powers, Frank Francoise, Tom Owen, Frank Francise, and Gwen Fox, among others.

Nard has taken on a variety of roles from government employee to business owner. He has been a wilderness guide, ski instructor, carpenter, and commercial photographer. Nard works with several non profits to promote the environment, arts and community.

Nard is a member of Manitou Arts Council, Pikes Peak Arts Council, Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, and Manitou Art Center. He is featured in the Pike’s Peak Library District’s video “Landscapes of the Mind.”

“I am inspired by wild nature with its mix of light, color, and shapes. I respond to the inter-dependency and interconnections of the world. My world is both external that is shared with others, and internal that explores the self. I explore time, perception, place, and presence in the moment. I am inspired and so I must act and create. The process is easier at a slower pace moving by self propulsion on foot and bike. It allows a person to breathe and see in detail rather than a blur. Taking time to breathe and feel is an important human interaction.

I pick my tools and simplify shapes to their elemental core to connect the viewer emotionally with the web of life. I am not working for a literal rendition, but a sense of time and place. My best work is when the intellect is silent and the flow, the discussion, is smooth and runs it own course. Much like a river, it takes the twig or the log along for a ride to where it is lodged. A painting like that is a pleasure to be a part of as a journey to a beautiful location. The journey is at least as important as the destination and what gives the destination its value.

I work with mixed media including watercolor, acrylic, encaustic, collage, photography and pastel. Simplification of shapes to their essential elements is a core component of my style, connecting the viewer emotionally with the delicate web of life”. -Nard Claar

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