Biography

But she has also had differing careers in her professional life: Art Director for a Madison Avenue advertising agency in New York City, with her work appearing in such well-known magazines as The New Yorker, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Mademoiselle, Seventeen, McCalls, and Glamor. In Paris she was published in Le Jardin des Modes and Le Journal des Enfants. Never straying far from the world of art, another career saw Claire Oak as owner and operator of The Fashion Illustrator's Workshop. Then too, after moving with her husband to Los Angeles, she was again a (freelance) artist for May & Co., while also keeping up with her fine arts painting.

About this time, Claire became much-in-demand as a teacher and lecturer. Moving to Stockton, she taught at Bauder College in Sacramento and "Painting for Adults" at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton in a wide variety of media. Fashion illustrator, owner and operator of a New York atelier, and above all a dedicated fine artist, Claire Oak currently divides her time between painting and teaching fine art. Asked about what recreational activity she likes, she responds that she enjoys painting from a model. And outdoor recreation? Spending a few hours painting landscapes and returning home to finish them in her studio. Her work, her recreation, her whole life is painting.

Versatile in different media such as oil, acrylics and stunning serigraphs, Claire Oak has in recent years concentrated on watercolor. Her love of drawing combines in her work with an impressive sense of color, resulting in an overall impression of simplicity and beauty.

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