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ABOUT the artist

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My work is rooted in a love of the sea, nature, and the ever-changing coastal landscape. I spend a lot of time observing the coastline - the changing waves, tides, skies, and subtle shifts in light throughout the day. I’m drawn to the way a place can feel completely different depending on the time of day or how the light falls across it. Those fleeting changes are what make me want to paint.

 

Working primarily in oil, I paint both plein air and in the studio, using color and light to capture the atmosphere of a particular moment. I want my paintings to preserve not only what a moment looked like, but what it felt like to be there - the warmth of late afternoon light, the quiet of an early morning, the glow of sunset, or the energy of the surf. My hope is that viewers can find something familiar in those moments and connect them to a place, memory, or feeling of their own.

Representation

2026 - current     Olas Ceramics, San Clemente, CA

2023 - current     Dana Bay Gallery, Dana Point, CA
2025 - 2026          Sandrift Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA

2022 - 2024          Mission Fine Art Gallery, San Juan Capistrano, CA

Selected Exhibitions

2027        Solo Exhibition, Newport Beach Central Library (upcoming)

2026        NOAPS Spring International Exhibition

2026        CAC Orange County Chapter Exhibition, Casa Romantica Cultural Center & Gardens, San Clemente, CA

2026        From Sea to Sierra, the CAC’s Excellence in Traditional Fine Art Competition

2026        Natures Bounty, The Old Mill, San Marino, CA

2025        2025 Plein Air Festival Exhibition, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA

2025        California Dreaming, Dorado 806 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

2024        On Location in Malibu, Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Malibu, CA

2023        Featured Artist, Dana Point City Hall, Dana Point, CA
2022        1st Annual Dana Point Plein Air Invitational, Dana Bay Gallery, Dana Point, CA 
2022        Santa Ana College Arts Solo Virtual Exhibition, Santa Ana, CA
2022        Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, Best of Plein Air Show, Laguna Beach, CA 
2020        Red Wing Arts Autumn Plein Air Invitational, Red Wing, MN
2020        Sanchez Art Center 12th Annual 50/50 Show, San Francisco, CA
2020        Plein Air Grand Marais, Grand Marais, MN
2019        Laguna Plein Air Painters Association Paints Old Towne Orange Showcase, Hilbert Museum, Orange, CA 
2018        20th Annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, Laguna Beach, CA

Honors and Recognition 

2026        1st Place and Peoples Choice Award, San Clemente Art Gallery, San Clemente, CA

2025        Honorable Mention, 2025 Plein Air Festival Exhibition, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA

2025        Honorable Mention, Annual Paint San Clemente, CA

​2024        Top 15, Art 64, Wauwatsota, WI

2023        Certificate of Recognition presented by the Arts and Culture Commission of the City of Dana Point, CA
2022        Selected for Sister Cities Exchange, 1st Annual Dana Point Plein Air Invitational, Dana Bay Gallery, Dana Point, CA
2022        Honorable Mention, Oceanside-Carlsbad Art League's 70th Annual Open, Coal Gallery, Carlsbad, CA 
2021         Honorable Mention, Studio Pintura Floral Exhibition, Minneapolis, CA
2019         Jerry’s Artarama 51st Anniversary Artists Merit and Achievement Award, National
2018         1st Place Next Generation, 20th Annual LPAPA, Laguna Beach, CA

© 2026 Claire Miller. All rights reserved.

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