About

Claire Marks (b. 1992) is a visual artist from Akron, Ohio. Her work is always an affirmation of the wild beauty and ultimate incomprehensibility of life as an earthly being. She is motivated by a fascination with animals and a love of compendiums—concise, comprehensive collections of information about a specific category of knowledge (field guides, encyclopedias, etc.) She draws inspiration from natural history prints, early American folk art, literature, book illustration, and her personal surroundings. Claire’s practice has involved different media including painting, collage, bookmaking, and paper marbling.

Hi! I’m Claire.

Creating art is a compulsion and a way of life for me.

For the past ten years my primary focus has been making marbled paper, handmade books, and creating marbled paper items to sell in local galleries in Northeast Ohio. I’ve taught countless workshops in marbling and linocut printmaking for almost as long as that. In 2025 I started painting again, which I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

Making art is a lifelong practice of deepening my gratitude for the precious life I have.

It’s a practice in stepping out of day-to-day anxieties and paying closer attention to little things that stand out and are really important. It’s about making connections and seeing the bigger picture. It’s about discovering something vulnerable in my heart and finding the courage to share it.

I enjoy being silly, and I consider art to be serious play. It’s something my soul needs to thrive.