British painter Oliver Clare was born into an artistic family in Birmingham 1853. His father was a Victorian artist well-known for his precisely detailed still life fruit and flower paintings, and both Oliver and his brother Vincent were trained by George.
Often associated with the Artists of Birmingham, Oliver exhibited many paintings throughout his lifetime – including at the Royal Academy and the Royal Society of British Artists – but it was the English hedgerow that most attracted him and his paintings of flowers and bird’s nests are the most celebrated. His subjects are frequently set against mossy backgrounds, producing a more informal composition than many of his contemporary artists, using almost invisible brush strokes.
Oliver generally took his two dogs with him on his rambles into the countryside; both the springer spaniel and the lurcher were called Pip, apparently so that one loud shout would return both dogs. Pip the lurcher was trained to collect fresh fruit from the greengrocer in a wicker basket and take it back to Oliver to paint; Pip the spaniel often grew tired of hanging about at the studio and would get on the tram and take himself home.
If your budget won’t stretch to an original Oliver Clare but you love the style of his work, keep an eye out for two sets of postcards commissioned by Birmingham company Pitman Health Food. Oliver produced 12 different still life paintings of fruit (six per set) to promote healthy eating.
