SHINE

SHINE is a collection of five original mixed-media works exploring beauty, femininity, identity and the ways we choose to express ourselves.

Bringing together portraiture, fashion, textile and pattern, the collection reflects Natasha Clarke’s growing interest in the relationship between the woman and what she chooses to surround herself with. Printed fabrics, layered textures and carefully considered details become an extension of each figure, creating compositions that feel both contemporary and richly tactile.

The collection draws particular inspiration from the pioneering Afro-Caribbean textile designer Althea McNish, whose distinctive botanical prints and influence on British textile design offer an important connection to Clarke’s own White British and Black Jamaican heritage. McNish’s legacy provides a starting point for exploring how fashion, pattern and material can carry stories of culture, migration and belonging. Paired with the ‘blue skies and turquoise waters’ of the Caribbean, much like McNish’s colourful textile prints post WW2, Clarke’s paintings offer a breezy escape to a sun filled land.

Alongside McNish-inspired textile elements, Clarke incorporates other printed fabrics and decorative motifs, creating a dialogue between portraiture, fashion and fine art. The resulting works celebrate individuality and the many ways beauty can be expressed — through colour, pattern, adornment, heritage and personal style.

SHINE represents an evolution within Clarke’s practice, expanding beyond traditional portraiture to create work that is layered, tactile and visually immersive, while retaining her fascination with the woman at its centre.