Claire Buckley’s Light Paintings: Capturing Sunlight, Grief, and a Planet in Peril

Brooklyn-based artist Claire Buckley paints different shades of sunlight that can be seen reflected, whether on windows or the sky, during different times of the day. For Buckley, the paintings are explorations of grief and spirituality that one gets when one looks up at the vastness of the sky. It allows people to remember that they are part of a larger planetary ecosystem, something grand and beautiful that makes their lives more meaningful. However, in today’s times, where climate change is increasingly posing a threat to human life on the planet, Buckley’s paintings may just be preserving how sunlight looks for posterity unless concerted effort is made to reduce the speed at which it is ravaging the planet. 

Climate change is primarily driven by changes in the atmospheric composition, which has meant a significant increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). If left unattended, this phenomenon will alter cloud formations, affecting the amount of sunlight that reaches the planet’s surface and causing an uptick in cloudy days. This means the sunny skies and bright lights that Buckley paints may be nothing but memories one day. This is why the light paintings by Claire Buckley are relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Climate Action.

As Buckley herself has mentioned, her paintings are explorations of grief and spirituality. This can only come from the large sizes of her paintings, engulfing the viewer’s senses as if they were looking up at a large mirror. They evoke a calmness in the viewer, akin to lying down in a field of grass, which allows them also to process their thoughts and emotions. This showcases the connection between sunlight and mental well-being, yet another aspect of human life threatened by climate change.

Claire Buckley’s light paintings beautifully capture the interplay between grief, spirituality and the fleeting beauty of sunlight in a world increasingly shaped by climate change. These large-scale paintings evoke calmness and introspection, encouraging viewers to process their emotions while contemplating their place within the larger planetary ecosystem. As climate change threatens to alter atmospheric conditions and sunlight, Buckley’s work becomes a powerful call for Climate Action. Her paintings not only celebrate the beauty of the natural world but also underline the urgent need to protect it for future generations, ensuring that sunlight remains a source of inspiration, healing and hope.

Find out more about light paintings by Claire Buckley and her other pieces on her website www.clairebuckley.com or Instagram @clairebuckleyart.