Tagata Motu Painting

Claudia Maldonado is a Colombian-Spanish artist and designer based in Scotland. Living most of her life by the sea in various islands around the world, it developed her awareness of how the immensity of the ocean can also be delicate and vulnerable to human interaction. Claudia’s art is her interpretation of what she has seen underwater during her professional scuba diving carrier. Her inspiration as an artist comes from being immersed in the ocean surrounded by active fish shoals, giving her the feeling of being part of their harmonious underwater dance. After a myriad of trials with different media, Claudia found the inner tubes of tyres to be the most adequate material to represent the fish shoals. She cuts thousands of fish with scissors and hand-stitches them to flax. The golden touch of the finished piece catches the light bringing to life the togetherness of the shoal. The mere thought of knowing that the old tyres she uses for her art will not end up polluting the ocean, it gives great satisfaction to the artist. Her intent is to create pieces to decorate our spaces creating ocean awareness, reminding us of the beauty of a sea filled with fish, the way it is meant to be.