Wicked Wendolyn Wasp and Lovely Lily Ladybird: A Beguiling Glimpse At The Insect Folk Of Grasshopper Green

German-Canadian artist Claudia Rubinstein moved to Australia in 1986. She lives and works in Melbourne, where she resides happily with her family. Claudia’s fascination with the arts began with the Grimm’s Fairytales she was read as a child, stories resplendent with romance and magic, illustrated by Gustave Dore. Dore’s wondrous - and sometimes terrifying - etchings were the first of many fantastical influences in Claudia’s career. Later, travel played a part in Claudia’s artistic development. The beauty she encountered in early wanderings across Asia, Europe and North America informed her aesthetic and added new riches to the depths of her imagination. Now the colours and textures of the places she visits seep into her art, layering real and romanticised histories over her fairytale beginnings. Claudia began her art practice in paint, and to this day oils on canvas are a staple of her practice. In recent years she has expanded her repertoire to include other aspects of the decorative arts, and now in addition to her paintings Claudia’s oeuvre includes an extensive exploration of jewellery-making. Claudia’s work has been exhibited in a variety of galleries, including the BMW Edge Gallery and Incinerator Gallery. Her pieces have also appeared in various national & overseas exhibitions, and are included in private collections around the world. Claudia’s latest foray in storybook illustrations is the culmination of a penchant for the whimsical and fantastical, an eye for colour and an appreciation of the limitless possibilities of a good imagination.