Alice Clair is a Canadian artist whose work explores nature, nostalgia, and motherhood. Working across oil painting, acrylic gouache, and mixed media, her pieces evoke quiet reflection through flowers, childhood memories, and old family photographs. Her 2024 installation at Fjällräven, featuring dried flowers from her garden, blends the natural world with personal history. The act of pinning is a recurring motif, inspired by her late grandfather Quimby Hess, an entomologist whose basement was filled with drawers of delicate butterfly specimens—a collection that continues to influence Alice’s practice, transforming fragile materials into thoughtful, preserved treasures.

Alice has always known she wanted to be an artist, experimenting with different mediums over the years. She describes her creative process as solving a puzzle—an exploration of materials, form, and meaning that keeps her engaged and inspired. Gardening, parenting, and thrifting are key influences in her work, with found objects often taking on new life in her pieces.

Balancing life as a mother, school secretary, and working artist, Alice’s studio practice is shaped by her everyday experiences. Born in Inuvik, NWT, and raised near Vancouver, she holds a Fine Arts Diploma from Langara College, an Illustration and Design Diploma from Capilano University, and a Classroom + Community Support Diploma from Douglas College.

Her work invites viewers to slow down and reflect on the beauty in everyday moments, connecting us to the past and the world around us.