The big picture: Pheasant feather art with Clare Brownlow

You don’t have to be an art lover to recognise the work of Clare Brownlow. 

Since 2010 she has been making a name for herself with her incredible creations – all made with pheasant feathers.

Her instrument of choice helps her capture the character, movement and colour of her wildlife subjects, unlike many people will have seen before.

Clare stumbled upon the art form while visiting her parents in Norfolk more than 10 years ago. She picked up a pheasant feather tail, dipped it in ink and began doodling with it.

But she found herself going back to the feather when she returned home to Scotland, and with a little encouragement from friends, began to make postcards and placemats with it.

‘I really loved the kind of energy and the effect that it made. The mess it created gave the subject matter movement and energy,’ says Clare.

And it’s those ‘splatter mistakes’ which make her work so unmistakable. You can sense the movement in the way the ink droplets dart across the paper. 

Whether it’s in the wings of the birds she paints – a striking blue kingfisher, a swirling grouse, a bright pink flamingo – or a bumble bee, her style is instantly recognisable.

‘I love the uncontrollable aspect of it. You can gauge the pressure but sometimes you can get carried away and it can all go wrong,’ Clare said. 

‘But all of the mistakes can turn out to be good ones.’

The popularity of her work grew quickly, and Clare was soon taking her paintings all over the world – from London to New York, Singapore and Boston.

‘It went from nothing to a million miles an hour very quickly,’ she said. 

Over the years she has collaborated with a range of high profile clients including Pol Roger Champagne, Bowland Brewery, and the The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

She’s also amassed 15,000 followers on Instagram, where she documents the highs and lows of creating her art, and the adventures she enjoys with her husband Charlie and two sons, Harry and Alfie.

Her work is constantly evolving and she hopes to exhibit in America again next year, but  for now, she is focusing on her own prints, a new studio and an upcoming exhibition. 

Last year Clare moved into a studio at the Hirsel Estate, in the Scottish Borders. Set within a rich natural environment, it’s a constant source of inspiration for Clare. 

She adores her studio space, which is filled with hundreds of feathers and flooded with natural light, and she loves being part of a creative hub at the estate alongside other artists. 

‘There is a lot of inspiration at the Hirsel, just going along the drive itself you see so much,’ she said.

‘The space is great, there is lots of light and it has a real community feel to it with the other artists there, it’s a great atmosphere.’

Clare is getting ready for her upcoming exhibition next week at The Life Rooms in Edinburgh from 4-8 October.

The modern twist she has brought to traditional sporting art has seen orders flooding in, and with her pieces rapidly increasing in value, they are said to have become somewhat of an investment.  

And it’s not surprising, her work is truly one of a kind. 

Clare Brownlow Pheasant Feather Art will open from the 4-8 October, The Life Rooms, Dundas Street, Edinburgh.

Read more on Scottish Field’s News pages. 

Plus, don’t miss the October issue of Scottish Field magazine.