Claire Earlie Maxwell – Artist

Claire Earlie Maxwell was born in Limerick, Ireland and trained at the Limerick School of Art and the National College of Art and Design in Dublin.

She moved to New Zealand in 1981 and studied at the Wellington College of Education gaining a Diploma of Teaching majoring in art. At Victoria University Claire completed a BA in Art History and a Graduate Diploma in Arts.

She settled in South Canterbury in 1998. Her current work explores the theme of rivers and water protection.

Three exhibitions in Ashburton, Timaru and Oamaru show a suite of large-scale works in the style of fin de siècle posters.

Each encapsulates the Goddess of a South Island East Coast river through which the artisit explores her love of the landscape and through the concept of Maeve the pan-Celtic Warrior Queen.

Maeve protects the rivers from pollution and depletion.