Magnolia Village Studio is perched overlooking its namesake on the fourth floor of the five-story townhome artist Claudia Meyer-Newman shares with her musician husband, whose music studio is conveniently located in an adjacent room on the same level. The room is filled with prints, shelves full of books, a beautiful assortment of found and created items, cameras, art-making tools and in the middle of it all, Claudia’s etching press. Immediately, I am comfortable and content there, high above the ground, bathed in the mid-afternoon light, surrounded by art and creativity.
For as long as she can remember, Claudia Meyer-Newman has made art. Her use of shapes, forms and landscapes from the natural world beautifully illustrate the light, form and nature from which she draws her inspiration.
Art and design complement one another. Claudia has enjoyed blending communication and content to create ideas and impressions at each of the many titles held during her career: in-house designer at Nordstrom, business owner (she was the first art rep in Seattle), twenty years teaching design at two local Community Colleges, eight years as designer for Methodologie, another eight teaching photography at Cornish – while simultaneously producing art and maintaining showings. She is also the brainchild behind Gallery Unpublished, an employee gallery at Methodologie. In her words, she is an artist who “shows up” and after listening to her background, I think it’s safe to give that statement a definitive yes.
Claudia’s broad span of techniques is impressive – she is fluent in printmaking; monotypes and monoprints, encaustics, photography, photogravure, mixed media, pastel and pencil – even product design – her striking handmade lamps are inspired by the beauty and luminous west light of Magnolia during her morning and late afternoon walks in Discovery Park.
Of all the techniques, she believes the making of a monoprint is about as pure a form as any she has hit on in her career of making art. Claudia says, “It’s all about color and letting go, and then knowing when to stop, not overworking a piece. In printmaking you work in layers so you can’t take away. There is a chaotic balance to the whole thing.” Over the years, a great many of her pieces have been sold to clients looking for modernist work.
Proudly bringing me her new Nikon DE750, a recent gift from her son, she tells me she never goes anywhere without her camera. “Seeing and looking inspire thinking of Spirit of Place she says. . . narrative is really important in photography – it’s the magical ba da boom.” She enjoys thinking about the language of photographs and playing with imagery. In her Illuminato series for example, she worked with photo composites, playing with the light patina to create narrative between old and new.
Claudia’s art is available for purchase. Visit her website to view how she can also creatively and professionally help you decide where and how to hang as well as install the art you purchase. Continue scrolling to see more of Claudia’s art installed in the many luxurious modern homes of her clients.
Claudia Meyer-Newman
Magnolia Village Studio
www.magnoliavillagestudio.com
www.claudiameyernewman.com