Marie-Claire

Bio:
Marie-Claire is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter/composer, video artist and visual artist, working primarily with Adobe Photoshop applications.Originally trained as a classical pianist, Marie-Claire is self-taught on a number of instruments including the harmonica, flute and guitar. In her musical compositions has an ability to weave musical influences as eclectic and diverse as the Baroque, Classical, Romantic to the Modern and popular. She is able to include influences from JS Bach, Strauss and Beethoven to Oasis, hard house and Britpop with a singular virtuosity. After graduating from the University of Bristol Marie-Claire spent a two year period working for a bank. The angst generated by working in an environment unsuited to her artistic temperament added fuel that was to drive her musical passion further.
She has for the past three years been pursuing a musical pathway, which has taken her on an interesting journey so far.She has collaborated also with major names. Details of which to be revealed.Marie-Claire is currently making in-roads into the art world with her multi-media displays of digital art based around her character and muse, The Glorious Maiden.She can also be enticed out of self-imposed artistic confinement to perform the occasional concert of her original muse-ic.Marie-Claire is available for work as a digital photoshop based artist and for video art projects and songwriting projects.While she is working on her own personal project to produce a collection of songs based around her muse and persona Glorious Maiden, Marie-Claire is actively on the look out for meaningful associations and collaborations with other artists and creative entities. More to follow.In the past Marie-Claire has gained work playing covers of Edif Paif, Aznavour, Brel and Ferre songs with French singer and interprete of the Chanson Francaise, Laurence Valadier. Together they performed as a duo in hotels and for private functions, occasionally calling on the services of Romanian accordeonist, Florence Maxim, and playing such renown venues as Le Pigalle, Le Meridien and Chez Gerard in the London Westend.Marie-Claire played piano at Leeds castle for three years for the visitors before attending University.When Marie-Claire is not directly channelling her energies into her own artistic endeavours, she directs her efforts in the pursuit of world peace. This has recently seen her collaborate with the SGI Choir and Howard Jones in recording a CD and DVD dedicated to kosen rufu, or World Peace in Buddhist philosophy.Marie-Claire has also been active performing original music and covers at Open Mic and Songwriters nights in venues around London but usuaully puts on performances of her own original material for special or unique occasions, and her format is rarely if ever repeated.... That is why her eagerly anticipated gigs, if relatively few and far between are always fresh, impactful and vibrant affairs.---------------------QUOTES------------------------- -------"This is not some average background singer in a smoky bar. This is someone whose haunting musical musings demand your immediate attention, making us appreciate that music such as this is not born of idle inner experience" Albert Mendoza[commenting on the video for "My name is Glorious Maiden] "ranconteuse, personality-driven manifestation of the Glorious Maiden as Mary Poppins-esque, medievally-inspired, folk heroine and alter-ego to Marie-Claire" Simon North, artistThere appear to be two highly contrasting sides to the Glorious Maiden. On the one hand Marie-Claire has forged an alterego in the form of a sort of all-singing and dancing, guitar brandishing Maria from the Sound of Music, a free-spirited, maiden on a mission to teach, enlighten and generally wow-zle.... she performs to the spirits of the woods and to ethereal friends under the "Ooma Gooma tree in the place known as Imagicaland", according to one of her picture captions. On the other hand she has presented her maidenly muse in ethereal, figment form, a kind of chimeara-like nymphean being.... slightly scary for all its otherwordliness.. She looks as though she has come straight out of a dramatic work of Botticelli or a Rubens paintings, and manifests visions of one of the scarier orders of angels or seraphim with a power terrible and frightening though she wears the face of a sweet and innocent child. Some of the picture vignettes she has created feature captions of her innermost thoughts, blown up and as larger than life as we are led to suppose they are few and far between .. expressed with all the eureka-like aplomb and ingenuousness of Amelie, immortalised in time. From the whole feel of what she does one feels that Glorious Maiden would not go amiss as sort of a Pollyanna type character in a Regency style house, or a raspberry-cordial sipping babette at a tea party straight out of an LM Montgomery novel......................[myspace comment re a visual montage I produced entitled "Glorious Maiden meets Ophelia" feat. the music of Paul Dunn ] "Oh my goodness, this was so deeply gorgeous...I cried softly inside..and if I did..I can only imagine how Paul and his daughter Becky felt? You are so deeply gifted..your own music as well...your art..your heart...your depth...you are loaded...that was so beautiful.. I really respect you..you grow on me...there is just something about you..so unique and utterly special... we have a lot in kindred common.. we are quite different musically..you are much classic musically..I am more porch and alley.. you have huge balls and guts as a woman...lay it out straight on the table.... thank you.. and may healing light shine on you now! aura Laura - Laura Taylor Whitfield, songwriter..
Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com "QUICK! SHUTTER ALL THE WINDOWS AND BOLT ALL THE DOORS.............. THE MUSE HAS SPOKEN! " - Marie-Claire"With all the dash and histrionics of the Alice in Wonderland tea party world of the Glorious Maiden homeland, a dream-like existential universe called Imagicaland, the alternate universe here stands as a metaphor for the "bubble wrapped world" in which we all live to some extent, our at times unquestioning acceptance of our own insular experiences of life ..... taking the initiative to look beyond the boundaries of our comfort zones to consider that there are other worlds out there beyond what we know and are familiar with. Central to the Maiden's quest to understand the meaning of the universe, is her tremendous seeking spirit........., can she be lulled by all the comforts and pleasures of a priviliged existence into a way of life that has been laid out on a silver platter for her, or will she want more ? Will she want to understand life from the perspective of the guy on the street ? All that time spent in her ivory tower reading books and wondering about the ways of the world from which she had long been sheltered, having her gaze fixed somewhere else, she finally gets what she wished for............. but is it more than she bargained for ? Resonances of Psyche and Persephone as the Maiden explores archetypes of the great subconscious and the quest to break out from the "deep unconscious sleep ". Is too much dreaming a good thing ? How do you know that you are not going through life in one big dream, self-created existential reality, living unconsciously, merely imagining at times that you are conscious ??????????????????On the other hand Imagicaland represents the power of the mind to conceive of its own reality as we go along ...... Marie-Claire depicts this place visually through her GM visuals as a colourful, otherwordly Rainbow brite, care bear-like utopia with shifting psychedlic landscapes founded on the logic that "what you imagine you create" - so why not choose to imagine pretty things like cakes, banquets with colourful larger than life characters, flower gardens, and being able to move things with your mind.., or whatever flicks your switch, but this "imagicaland" for all the utopian grandeur from which it is conceived is not immune to the "nightmares", the black daemon horse-harpies which seek to destroy the forces of imagination, in their place disseminating fear, panic and chaos............. a dull, monochromatic world with no place for the imagination to thrive. What if someone in the matrix has a "deviant thought" - how does it affect everyone else connected to that matrix ? Brought down to earth and forced to think on her toes in order to survive as others around her do not, at least at first, recognise her true princess-like quality, the Maiden has much to prove. In their cynical and adult world, they think she is being a bit "funny ". On an eternal quest to put the world to rights and get people to take the spirit of her muse seriously, Marie-Claire presents the maiden with bravado and honesty and a good dose of moral storytelling. We eagerly wait to see how the next part of the tale unfolds " - Dorit Cazenove " Movers and Shakers" May 2008Music video for "My name is Glorious Maiden"..
Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com In the flesh, Marie-Claire exudes an unusual quality which is exceptional as it is rare. Some kind of rawness, at times even wild and feral, which makes you wonder what this kind of energy could be capable of, depending on how it was harnessed. Stylistically in her art she draws intelligently and abstractedly upon elements of the impressionists, pre-raphelites and a certain kind of Victorian /Edwardian timeless appeal to articulate an authentic visual language for her inner muse. Her appeal is always classic and never at any time influenced by transient ephemera, eschewing the shallow and mundane as though it were a plague.. this boheme celebrates a creative and classically stylish sense of dress.. Janet H Bowden, friend Marie-Claire is a traveller of the mind. We are called upon to explore the many keynotes and essences of the Marie-Claire soul, of which the Glorious Maiden is the consummation of the part that is the living breathing work of art - her muse supremo, and just before we think we may have an idea of what she is, we discover that that is not what she is... We stand corrected. We watch and see as another picture emerges and she is transformed once again. This someone who paints the world with broad strokes of the brush and in as many shades of grey as it is possible to without losing form. A shapeshifter, protean in her elusiveness. A mysterious enigma, one that refuses to be pinned down or defies to be defined. We want to grasp the essence, reach into her depths and linger a while in her endless self-mythologisations. This delectable creature is about as muse-like as they come... Is there ever any knowing the heart and soul of Marie-Claire ? " - Miguel Costa Pereira" You would think that some aspects of the Maidens projected persona would attract a certain kind of unquestioning obedience to the Maidens way or no way kind of Yes Men. One wonders whether this is the case in actuality ? " Gary Biskmarc, AKA CommunicationsI watched your video which was very other dimensional (not unusual for you I know). Very ethereal, magical, slightly eerie and surreal, mystical, a little frightening, intruiging and beguiling. Are words that it conjured up for me. I love the vocal inflection on the end of the track, lovely and very special. The whole track has a hallowed and holiness to it. Much Love , Light & Blessings Alexis POWERLIGHT xx As with her choice of "that song by Peter Sarstedt " on the profile to her "Marie-Claire space", one senses there is "just something about being a Marie-Claire"... Some untold class held by the bearer of such a name that inspires public houses filled with middle-class, ale-swilling landed property-owning farmers in Shropshire to sing in chorus " Tell me the thoughts that surround you ... I want to look inside your head Marie-Claire "... To capture the eye of photographers and artists everywhere, to inspire the musings of art critics, poets and creative souls wherever she moves ... This is the kind of girl who forms the unspoken inspiration behind songs and works of art ......... "You talk like Marlene Dietrich and you dance like Zizi Jeanmaire ... " Marie-Claire has been there and seen it all..especially in her mind.. and perhaps that is enough? Who knows what stories linger behind the eyes of one who by any other name would could not smell as sweet, lovely , exquisite and charmingly mysterious.. One thing is for sure, the way she moves through life is a mystery.. - Tomlin Garrett, poet and patron of bespoke Shropshire public house " Marie-Claire you make me think of white raspberries and champagne with alpine mountain air. A breath of spring sunshine " - Julius Just "Through her Glorious Maiden Fantasy Visuals (C) Marie-Claire seeks to create herself through the visual expressions of her inner muse, her psyche seeming to act as a conduit between surreal and otherwordly realms, inviting you to view the world through the eyes of one a little less ordinary. You wonder if this new and upcoming dynamic creative force is not a visionary genius in the making. Her prolificness, and the raw power and the hyped up life force of her dazzling visuals conspire to tranfix and draw you into her rich imaginary world; she depicts scenes as scene through the eyes of her muse and alterego, at times haunting, gothic, surreal, and even sci-fi ; this intrepid explorer travels through worlds and captures something of them in her plethora of glorious maiden images - the Pixie in a Barrel, for example, the "Maiden Experience" and "Reflection in a mirror " series have the makings to become potentially iconic.- Easterngate [- write up for Fairy Art publication ] Some of her expressions of herself in some of the paintings have a certain hypnotic quality which transfixes and draws you into her world.... reminiscent of the sirens, one wonders to which realms she would take you if you were cast under her spell ... Not unlike her reputed namesake of the legendary Sarstedt song, is the story of the Glorious Maiden one in which the heroine finds a way from going from rags to riches...........? Riches to rags and back to riches again... ? [re the song "My name is Glorious Maiden"], will she undertake the quest to regain the lost "rightful glory" of her birthright, in all the rollicking bravado of "a bit of a caper into the unknown " and find her way back with a renewed sense of wisdom and meaning, or will she change course along the way? For we marvel both at her ingenuity and her ingenuousness, the beautiful, alluring and bemusing contradiction of watching as these qualities play off one another. It remains to be seen whether she finds meaning and happiness from the company in which she lands herself, from the people and situations she travels through in life. One suspects that she will take it all in her gamine stride, her sprightly maidenly hop-skip and jump and see where the whole thing goes......... In a world of shark-infested waters, hustlers and those generally out to get what they can for themselves, it remains to be seen whether the quest leads to some search for the deeper meaning of our place in the order of things. The Maiden will show us the moral in the tale, as only she so candidly can. True to the spirit of the eponymous fashion magazine "Marie-Claire" is associated with class.. you show us an intelligent, knowing and otherwordly side to being a Marie-Claire. - Tomlin Garrett There are some artful pictures of Marie-Claire's nymph like form with the fullness of its classical curves and graceful rondure that transported me to a world of Rubens, Raphael and Bouguerreau et al. of cherubim, nymphs and heavenly creatures. The work of art in the flesh is of course even more delectable to contemplate than a 2D image.. which you could argue loses something of the immediacy that her bearing and aura has upon one. As I contemplated her in the diffuse light flooding in through the arched windows of Browns and onto the brown and white tiled floor, there emerged a creature of intoxicating femininity, the graceful elegant splendour of her neck, but more importantly, the archess of spirit that moves through her being to express that splendidly elegant neck.... the pre-Raphaelite curls, the hair so delicate and fine unlike any I had seen before.... the way the light highlighted the elemental beauty of her elusive spirit........... "Splendid, splendid splendid I said to my friend who introduced us.... I start to see what you mean about the "Marie-Claire experience....!" I realised there was so much expressiveness within her spirit that transcended the power of mere words... how real she stands in my minds eye as a girl-woman, for she appears to be neither resolutely one nor the other... yet effervescently exhibiting extremes of both. At times it seems she is perhaps more at home in a world where speech is kept to a minumum, and compensates in many other ways... like a mute who must adapt to the lack of speech by expressing itself through the power of movement, body language, telepathy and facial expressions. Her higher intelligence, wit and elusive quality had me captivated the moment she walked into the room. Her art and music should do the talking for her. She deserves to be recognised as the numismatic stunning beauty that she is, every aspect of her stupidly handsome-pretty face interplaying with the qualities of the light in some new and fascinating way, from each angle / (or do I mean "angel"?) throwing up some new artful possibity to contemplate. A handsome face is meaningless without spirit , and this captivatingly divine creature, her delicacy on the one hand contrasting with the masculine bravura on the other ..... she has it in spades............. she has the " Gia " quality. At the same time I realised that this creature needs to move around in realms that would benefit the unique type of spirit that she is, and keep the company of those that are gifted to bring it out of her, for when something lights up the anima of this one, the beauty within flares up and the results can be breath-taking and magical. Likewise if she was to fall into the company of those who would not allow her the creative freedoms she so clearly thrives upon, you wonder what would happen ? Whilst in her company something about her brought out a protective side to me ... she was somewhat aloof and not willing to give fully of self... her language was somewhat "creative " to say the least... and she spoke in such a way as if her mind was somewhere removed from her brain's ability to make a constructed sentence make syntactically accurate sense. It was as though her mind had analysed the patterns and limitations of speech and could see beyond them many other shades and nuances of meaning within a cogent sentence structure. Choosing to brush airly aside the parts of speech that her pathways of mind found too dogmatically restrictive, she instead had her own abstract ideas about how to articulate speech. The manner in which she articulated her stream of thought in language at times lacked in those qualities that we take for granted in every day speech such as punctuation and grammar..., pausing for breath in the places you would expect. With her, it was one sentence or part of a sentence tripping out and rolling onto the next... pause in middle..... words..... a word. And this is exemplary of Marie-Claire in general. She ignores rules that she instinctively feels do not apply to her. Hers was a language highly pictorial, with her random, off-beat observations, conjuring up images in the mind of scenes that had made an impression upon her. It was a sort of out-there conversation, slightly on another level. Musically and creatively she has a similar type of spirit to a Kate Bush, Joanna Newsom or Lene Lovich. I noted also a certain vulnerability which to me increased her charms all the more, and as I sat there over our mulled woodbine-infused chardonnay I wondered at the thoughts racing through her beautiful mind, her eyes, or rather, the kaleidoscope-like elements behind those deep dark orbs, dancing about with a quizzical restlessness, as a part of her mind that I perhaps could not reach................. In the course of our time together I came to realise and understand that this person posessed a certain type of pureness of spirit that would, in the right circles and placed in a sphere she could literally be edified as a living work of art. Whilst ultimately a bohemian soul, she nevertheless possesses a class and timeless essence which she rightfully claims for her own. She is not of the anodyne personality-less airbrushed cardboard cutouts gracing the covers of our vanity publications, but something special and unique. A real woman in the classical sense. And girl all at the same time. And though I say so myself, it takes a special kind of person to perceive her for all that she is................ Not quite of this world............... An essence that you want to contain in a bottle, whilst at the same time knowing that it would somehow elude you. If I were a a perfumier I would invent a perfume called " The Essence of Marie-Claire " ..... a complex alchemy comprising elements that hinted at sublime feminity, seduction, mystery, the unknowable, and a dash of masculine spice ? That essence that quickened the pulse of many a perfumier seeking to discover and capture the next unique essence..... Is it this relentless quest for perfection that drives her, never to distill her essence and authenticity with meaningless pursuits that are not relevant to the art of being Marie-Claire........? Marie-Claire will you ever be happy with the limitations of thine physical self knowing that there is such great perfection within ? See also Caitlin Thomas and Isadora Duncan. She has that type of spirit of muse.. " - Clint Fotheringay " When I went to see the Maiden live at the Old Queens Head I felt like I was being let into something I had not seen before.. it is much the same experience watching her videos and quirky video snippets of the Maiden on the move, like a sort of visual diary of the maidenly muse musing it out to an unquantified audience with an almost insouciant abandon. The Glorious Maiden talks as though she assumes you know exactly where she is coming from.. and why should she assume otherwise? It feels as though she is talking to a part of your mind that is beyond the beyond. The GMTV that everyone should be watching as far as I am concerned is Glorious Maiden TV . I want to see more from you sweet maiden; thank you for giving me a view into your unique, weird, wonderful and magical universe ... its given me ideas and influenced how I go about my own video art etc " - Stephen Lenman, aka Skopje "that thing you do with the Maiden is completely original... Nobody can touch that. I would like to have a cup of tea with the maiden " - Mark Hudson, grammy award winning songwriter and producer "you're like that Puck character from A Midsummer Nights Dream. That mischevious streak. Have you done any more videos lately? " Mark Hudson, grammy award winning songwriter and producerMarie-Claire is a traveller of the mind. We are called upon to explore the many keynotes and essences of the Marie-Claire soul, of which the Glorious Maiden is the consummation of the part that is the living breathing work of art - her muse supremo, and just before we think we may have an idea of what she is, we discover that that is not what she is... We stand corrected. We watch and see as another picture emerges and she is transformed once again. This someone who paints the world with broad strokes of the brush and in as many shades of grey as it is possible to without losing form. A shapeshifter, protean in her elusiveness. A mysterious enigma, one that refuses to be pinned down or defies to be defined. We want to grasp the essence, reach into her depths and linger a while in her endless self-mythologisations. This delectable creature is about as muse-like as they come... Is there ever any knowing the heart and soul of Marie-Claire ? " - Sampson D'CostaI was mightily impressed to see the range of Maiden images that Marie-Claire produced.. her range, versatility and ability to draw on divers artistic movements to weave a unique and rich visual vocabulary with a beguiling sensual magic and lofty sense of its own authenticity. The same goes for her music which she informs me are entirely her own creations. Some of her images are bold, striking and emanate an intense energy, and her discerning use of the colour palette, gradients and tonalities and the interplay and transparencies of the light spectrum present an sensual allure at times mesmerically erotic, drawing you into a world which you suspect is inhabited by fairies, goblins, pixies and other otherwordly creatures... Elements of La Joconde, the enigmatic smile.. Marie-Claire seems to wax siren-like in and out of innocent sweet little girl, like a doll from a period dollhouse, a cappucino-sipping bookish Victorian vamp-ingenue sitting outside a cafe in Paris, to marvellous maiden adventuress extraordinaire, and sublime temptress.As with her choice of "that song by Peter Sarstedt " on the profile to her "Marie-Claire space", one senses there is "just something about being a Marie-Claire"... Some untold class held by the bearer of such a name that inspires public houses filled with middle-class, ale-swilling landed property-owning farmers in Shropshire to sing in chorus " Tell me the thoughts that surround you ... I want to look inside your head Marie-Claire "... To capture the eye of photographers and artists everywhere, to inspire the musings of art critics, poets and creative souls wherever she moves ... This is the kind of girl who forms the unspoken inspiration behind songs and works of art ......... "You talk like Marlene Dietrich and you dance like Zizi Jeanmaire ... " Marie-Claire has been there and seen it all..especially in her mind.. and perhaps that is enough? Who knows what stories linger behind the eyes of one who by any other name would could not smell as sweet, lovely , exquisite and charmingly mysterious.. One thing is for sure, the way she moves through life is a mystery.. - Tomlin Garrett, poet and patron of bespoke Shropshire public houseWhereas you see fantasy fairy art everywhere pimped about with such a lack of real spiritual energy which to my mind belie the true magic of fantasy-fairy art's premise, Marie-Claire , by contrast brings a refreshing rawness to the world of fairy and fantasy maiden art. The quantity of images she has produced and the rapid progression and evolution of her technique in the short space of time since she has taken to the pixie-(pun intended!)-lated canvas makes you wonder that she does not end up designing the next cover for a fantasy story that might have been commissioned to Brian Froud himself. No fairy art whoredom here. No poppy Japanese Manga fairies... This is someone who inhabits a spiritual dimension and successfully manifests those visions of into reality. Marie-Claire works rapidly and with breadth of vision to produce strong impressionistic visual landscapes to express the inner child in a powerfully visceral kind of way, but with a soul maturation that draws you hurtlingly in to contemplate her depths. Marie-Claire distances herself from such rampant self-categorisation as "fairy artist". For her, merely to hint at the surreal and otherwordly aspects is enough. She expresses these not only through the visual but through the ethereal soundscapes of her music. Away thou out-and-out fairy artist whores.......! You superficial flighty fairy sluts, and as for those showing a lack of maturity and even naivety in their art, look to the Maiden for Inner Child inspiration. Thumbs up plus four to the wonders of digital photography photoshop art. Watch out Prescilla Hernandez.. here comes the Maiden. [- write up for Fairy Art publication ]The Mischevious Pixie in a barrel series :-