Claudia Petretti studied Drawing and Painting at Edinburgh College of Art under John Houston where she was awarded a First Class Degree. Since graduating in 1988 she has regularly exhibited in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, taking a couple of years out around 1996 when her son was born.
“My work explores the subtleties of the human figure and particularly the portrait and its possibilities for expression. Using layers of media, including pencil, charcoal, pastels and watercolour, I am especially drawn to the subtle language of the body and face—gesture, posture, and expression—as a way of describing inner emotional moments.
Rather than striving for photographic realism, I am interested in creating expressive and sensitive representations that capture something less tangible—gesture and mood. The materials I use allow for both precision and suggestion and these marks sit alongside areas that remain open and unresolved.
These sections of the work which are intentionally left incomplete are as important as the drawn shapes, creating space for interpretation and imagination. In this way, each portrait becomes a collaboration between artist and viewer.
Pencil and charcoal ground the form with depth and immediacy, while watercolour introduces softness, movement, and atmosphere and the slight flashes of pastel give a vibrating line to an otherwise delicate treatment. This balance creates a tension between control and spontaneity, where marks remain visible and alive.
At the heart of my practice is an expressive and sensitive approach to representation. Rather than striving for strict realism, I want to capture fleeting states of feeling and presence—moments that feel intimate, vulnerable, and quietly powerful.”
COMMISSIONS
Portrait of Liz Lochead, featured on the cover of her collection of poems, Bagpipe Muzak.
Portrait of actors, Russell Hunter and Una Mclean.
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
Her work is currently held in the City Art Centre, Edinburgh and RSA Collections Edinburgh and Art UK
BIOGRAPHY
1994 – 2025 | Artist/Tutor based in Edinburgh
1991 – 1993 | Lived and worked in Milan, Italy
1989 – 1991 | Artist/Tutor in residence at 369 Gallery, Edinburgh
1983 – 1988 | Edinburgh College of Art, BA Hons. (First Class); Post Graduate Diploma
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 |29 Drumsheugh Gardens Edinburgh
2018 | Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
2017 | 29 Drumsheugh Gardens Edinburgh
2015 | Porto & Fi, Edinburgh
2014 | Bond Accountants, Edinburgh
2012 | Thomson’s Tower, Dr Neil’s Garden, Edinburgh
2010 | Sarah Dallas Gallery, Edinburgh
2008 | Valvona & Crolla, Edinburgh
2007 | Valvona & Crolla, Edinburgh
2006 | Newhaven Communications, Edinburgh
2005 | Stenton Gallery
2002 | House For an Art Lover, Glasgow
1996 | Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
1994 | Kingfisher Gallery, Edinburgh
1992 | Kingfisher Gallery, Edinburgh
1990 | Italian Cultural Institute, Edinburgh
1990 | 369 Gallery, Edinburgh
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 | RSA Edinburgh Andiamo
2009-20 | The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, The Edinburgh Gallery; The Green Gallery, Buchlyvie; Easel @ Gosford House; Leith School of Art, Edinburgh; Art Amatoria, Edinburgh;
2010 | Sarah Dallas Gallery
2008 | In Our Own Image , City Art Centre, Edinburgh
2007 | The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh; The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
2005 | Sojourners, Scottish Artists Abroad, City Art Centre, Edinburgh
2001-06 | The Affordable Art Fair, Maclean Fine Art, London
2000 | The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh; Compass Gallery, Glasgow;
1997 | Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh; Nexus Gallery, Edinburgh
1991 | Visions and Emotions of Italy, Italian Cultural Institute, Edinburgh
1991 | Scottish Colourists Old and New, Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Galleries
1990 | The Italian Scots, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
Painting the Forth Bridge, 369 Gallery Edinburgh
SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS
1998 | Adam Bruce Thomson Award, Royal Scottish Academy
1987 | Richard Ford Scholarship for Study in Madrid
1987 | John Kinross Scholarship for Study in Florence