Clare Rojas

Clare E. Rojas
Born1976 (age 47–48)
Columbus, Ohio[1]
NationalityAmerican
Other namesPeggy Honeywell
Alma materRhode Island School of Design, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Occupation(s)Visual artist, musician
Known forPainting, installation art, video art, street art, children's books illustrations

Clare E. Rojas (born 1976), also known by stage name Peggy Honeywell, is an American multidisciplinary artist. She is part of the Mission School.[2] Rojas is "known for creating powerful folk-art-inspired tableaus that tackle traditional gender roles."[3] She works in a variety of media, including painting, installations, video, street art, and children's books.[1] Rojas lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.[4]

Early life and education

Clare Rojas was born in 1976 in Columbus, Ohio.[5] She is of half-Peruvian descent.[6] As a teenager, Rojas visited a nursing home, where she would make portraits in pastel and oil, while she listened to the interesting stories of her subjects.[2]

She received a BFA degree in Printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD); and a MFA degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.[7] At RISD, she studied printmaking, which informed her use of color, layering and sizing. In her search for non toxic paint, she discovered gouache, which she used to paint like a printmaker.[2]

Career

Rojas work is inspired by folk art. She loves quilts and loves to tell stories, which is reflected in her work.[8]

In her more recent work, Rojas has moved from figurative paintings into pure geometric abstraction.[9] Inspired by Native American textiles, Quaker Art, and Byzantine mosaics, Rojas creates narratives depicting interactions between humans and animals, focusing on history’s journey to find peace. She brings multiple artistic influences together in her textiles by incorporating abstract geometry found in quilts and architecture.[10] Rojas is known for adding elements of female sexuality into her artwork. She does this to give credit to women and recognize their natural strengths.[10]

Peggy Honeywell

Rojas also plays guitar and banjo under the stage name Peggy Honeywell.[1] She has released three albums: Honey For Dinner (2001), Faint Humms (2005), and Green Mountain (2006).

Personal life

Rojas married fellow artist Barry McGee in 2005.[6] She adopted his daughter, Asha (Sanskrit for hope), from his previous marriage to Margaret Kilgallen.[11]

Selected solo exhibitions

Public art

  • SFO, International Terminal, Gate G Level 3 - Blue Deer 2006-2007, Oil and Pigmented Ink with Gesso Ground on Wood Panels
  • 982 Market Street, San Francisco, the side of the Warfield Theater - Mural 2014, commissioned by The Luggage Store Gallery and funded by Walter and Elise Haas Fund/Creative Work Fund.[18]

Awards

Albums

Clare Rojas performs under the stage name Peggy Honeywell. She has released three albums:[26]

  • Honey for Dinner (2001)
  • Faint Humms (2005)
  • Green Mountain (2006)

References

  1. ^ a b c Boas, Natasha. "Clare Rojas". McSweeny's. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Clare Rojas: Causing an Uproar". XLR8R. Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  3. ^ Bellman, Erica (November 7, 2013). "On View | Clare Rojas Gets in Touch With Her Abstract Side". NYTimes Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  4. ^ "CLARE ROJAS - Artists - Andrew Kreps Gallery". www.andrewkreps.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  5. ^ "WM Issue #3: In conversation with Clare E. Rojas: The power of Representation". Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art. May 2007. Archived from the original on 2022-11-23. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  6. ^ a b "Three Artists, One Love Story". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. 2015-08-03. Archived from the original on 2022-11-23. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  7. ^ "Clare E. Rojas Biography" (PDF). Gallery Paule Anglim. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  8. ^ "Clare Rojas: Causing an Uproar". XLR8R. Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
  9. ^ Frank, Priscilla (Nov 15, 2013). "Artist Clare Rojas Talks Abstraction, Art Market Gossip And Louie C.K." Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Clare E. Rojas - 71 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy". www.artsy.net. Archived from the original on 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  11. ^ Goodyear, Dana (August 2015). "A Ghost in the Family". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  12. ^ "Clare Rojas 'Shifted Horizons' Press Release". SOCO GALLERY. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  13. ^ "Clare Rojas – Kavi Gupta Gallery". kavigupta.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  14. ^ "Past Exhibitions". SOCO GALLERY. Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  15. ^ "The inexhaustible middle | Alice Gallery". alicebxl.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  16. ^ "CLARE ROJAS - Artists - Andrew Kreps Gallery". www.andrewkreps.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  17. ^ "Clare Rojas: Male Preserve". SFMOMA. Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  18. ^ "www.artandarchitecture-sf.com/tag/clare-rojas". www.artandarchitecture-sf.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  19. ^ "Clare Rojas". Headlands Center for the Arts. Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  20. ^ "Clare Rojas". Artadia. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  21. ^ "CLARE ROJAS - Artists - Andrew Kreps Gallery". www.andrewkreps.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  22. ^ "The Fleishhacker Foundation | 2005-2007". Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  23. ^ "CLARE ROJAS - Artists - Andrew Kreps Gallery". www.andrewkreps.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  24. ^ "Walter & Elise Haas Fund » | 509 Cultural Center & Clare Rojas". haassr.org. Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  25. ^ "Visiting Artists Program - The Oxbow School". www.oxbowschool.org. Archived from the original on 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  26. ^ "Peggy Honeywell". Discogs. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.

Further reading