Born into the horse training tradition, Clare Christie began her lifelong relationship with sport horses at a very early age. Her family moved out to their ranch in the Texas hill country when she was thirteen. Life on the ranch consisted of horses, land and open space.  She began drawing and painting landscapes and horses, always drawing on her surroundings.  She was a part of the horse training business, which her mother ran, therefore riding and caring for the horses was a huge part of daily life. “Communicating successfully with horses is a challenging and inspiring activity.  It takes an amazing amount of patience and trust.  The horse exhibits power yet grace, boldness yet fear, and can be calm one moment then swift the next.”

After living on the ranch and successfully competing on the hunter /jumper circuit in Texas she decided to seek a liberal arts education.  During the years, at the University of the South, Clare discovered a world of extreme intellectual and creative stimulation. Challenged academically and nurtured artistically, Clare soon expanded into mediums beyond drawing and painting.  “I began by creating horses built of sticks and wire, light and linear, they were merely suggestions of what I wanted the viewer to see.  I then addressed a new challenge by creating this same feeling of light, fleeting movement with heavier, more massive materials. My purpose is to draw the viewer into the horse’s world.”

After graduation, Clare returned to Austin. When not riding and training horses, Clare can be found working in her studio located on her family’s stables in Austin, Texas.