My beautiful friend, Claire Maclean aka ClaraBaza, has died. She was an artist, musician and she made gourds into art objects. She was a light in my and so many others lives, she was dependable and fun. I miss her. It wasn’t sudden, she had a cerebral haemorrhage a few days after the opening night of our last exhibition together, then she lay in hospital, in a vegetive state for two months. That was tough, on her son especially. Limbo land in the extreme, the “grey zone” they call it. Wondering what was going on inside her, knowing there was no real return from the severe brain damage she’d suffered. I felt like the doctors had saved her body but not her life. Now she has flown this mortal plane and we can all grieve properly. She is finally free!

I made this little film to channel my grief into something creative. It’s also so you can see her brilliant smile one more time.

Film by Emma Plunkett
Words by Jane Skellett
Soundtrack by Troy Hoggart

There will be a retrospective of her artwork in the spring. Here also is a painting I did of her.