Claire Rudin
Born in England in 1966, a somewhat nomadic life followed, growing up in Wiltshire, Malawi and Hong Kong. In 1985 I began studying a Bachelor of Education with a specialism in Art and Design under Sue Tuckett at The University of Gloucester. Here I discovered batik, while my parents lived in Indonesia, a lifelong passion began!

My first teaching job was in the Island of Sark, where I also first exhibited and sold my work in the Sark Glass gallery. 5 wonderful years in Sark, then the nomadic life continued, as my husband to be became an aid worker and I travelled with him, to Rwanda, Khartoum,
Jerusalem and Ghana over 12 years. Returning to settle in Cambridge in 2006.

Throughout, education and Art have been the cornerstones of my career, alongside an incredible cultural immersion, where the craftsmanship and Art discovered on my travels have always held a deep fascination and are a constant source of inspiration. In 2010, I became Joint Head of Art and more recently Head of Art at King’s College School in Cambridge.

Whether I chose batik as my medium or it chose me, I feel it is a medium which crosses cultures. Batik has a rich history, spanning continents, being widely used in the Far East, Asia and Africa and now increasingly so in Europe and the Americas. This cultural diversity holds an
important place in my work.