Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Claffy.
Hi Becky, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I never expected to discover such a deep love and passion for painting. After a 30-year career in commercial and retail banking, I completed my very first oil and acrylic painting in February 2017. Just over a year later, in June 2018, I was honored to be selected as the sole emerging artist for the City of Tavares’ ongoing public art exhibit—an established platform since 1999 for showcasing Central Florida artists. Approximately 40 works, created within my first year of painting, were displayed and they sold in record numbers. In fact, the curator shared that the number of pieces sold surpassed any prior exhibit in its 18-year history.
While my professional background was rooted in corporate America, I was no stranger to the arts. I left home at 15 to study musical performance at the University of North Carolina. However, I was equally gifted in patterns and numbers, which ultimately led me to pursue a long and successful career in banking.
What began as a brief hiatus from commercial banking soon opened a new door. I started seeing patterns everywhere—not just in data, but in nature, shapes, and abstract spaces. It was like pareidolia on overdrive. This was the foundation of my personal and unique artistic style.
To describe my process, consider this: when you look up at a star-filled sky and suddenly spot a constellation, that same cognitive shift is what fuels my best work. I see images already hidden in nature—in trees, puddles, shadows, or even the texture of a blank canvas. Many people experience pareidolia now and then, like spotting shapes in clouds. For me, it’s constant. My creative drive is to complete these hidden images so others can see what I do. Whether I’m painting delicate florals or layered compositions filled with fantastical faces, I see them first—and then I paint.
Both pareidolia and free association are central to my process. It’s difficult to explain, but when a painting “feels right,” I know it carries truth and the potential to create connection or understanding. Many of my oil paintings explore human emotions, or social themes beneath the surface.
Today, my home office and private studio are in Winter Garden, Florida. I’m also a proud mother of three incredible children who’ve always encouraged me—especially as I navigated this massive shift in my life’s direction.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Initially, the road was quite bumpy.
One of the hardest decisions I ever made was stepping away from a successful 8-to-6 banking career. At some point, my fast-paced and interesting days began to drag. I remember the moment I first noticed the ticking of the office clock—it became a deafening focal point. I couldn’t imagine hearing it for another 10 years.
While still working, I kept picturing a simpler life: a twin-sized bed, a side table, a lamp, and a good book. That vision became my anchor. When the timing was right, after my kids had grown and left home, I sold my 5-bedroom house, most all my belongings, and moved into a 450-square-foot treetop apartment in Mount Dora. That tiny space, with beautiful tree scenes in every window, had the serenity I needed to reset. By then, I had accumulated over 30,000 tree photos saved on my phone.
It was scary. It was risky. But I knew it was necessary.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Currently, my work is twofold—though the paths may appear unrelated at first:
Business Consulting
After transitioning out of banking, I began business consulting across several industries. While it started with helping clients access capital, it quickly evolved into full-scale creative problem solving. One client dubbed me a “MacGyver for business,” and the name stuck. I’ve developed everything from social media platforms and websites, to print marketing, blog content, ad campaigns, and even customer service quality systems. My work bridges strategy and creativity.
Pure Art
I spend an equal amount of time developing original paintings and limited-edition prints for a growing base of collectors and supporters. I also offer prints through an online gallery. Pure Art is where my heart is, and it’s where I’m headed. In fact, I no longer pursue new`business consulting clients, focusing solely on current clients and their projects and referrals so there is more time for art in its purest form. It’s unique in that there is no other style like it that I can identify. My paintings are 50% Black and white and 50% color with most exceeding 24″ X 30″ in dimension. My art is pure creation, and I use no references except for what I see in my mind or on the canvas.
Art + Business: A Fusion
For me, art and business are no longer separate. Clients may initially come to me for something analytical, like funding, but they often receive much more, such as design guidance, storytelling, brand development. My creative vision enhances my business acumen, and vice versa. That harmony is now a signature part of everything I do.
Fun Fact: An artist is often asked, “how long does it take to complete a painting?” That’s a tough one for me and many artists. Truthfully, my paintings are never complete for as long as I own them. Because pure creation on canvas keeps evolving just like the entire universe keeps evolving. While there may be a point in its creation where someone loves it enough to buy it, doesn’t mean that the image is suddenly static. Some paintings are so active at the point of sale that I’ll preserve the image digitally and transfer it to a fresh canvas where I can continue its evolution.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Slowing down allowed me to see the world differently; fresh perspectives emerged and ideas and thoughts which had laid dormant for years re-ignited and set my brain on fire! My unique way of seeing trees as a child resurfaced. Although I didn’t realize it for some time, the thousands of photos I had taken of trees weren’t just beautiful snapshots, they were studies in balance, structure, and story.
Trees continue to inspire all kinds of visual imagery for me, and I often begin a painting by first placing all the natural angles and shading of a particular tree photograph on the canvas. Trees with all the angles, shading, and continual pattern changes became my most reliable content generator for art – one with infinite possibilities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beckyclaffyfineart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becky_claffy_artist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeckyClaffy.Artist/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@beckyclaffyartist
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@beckybraggclaffy
Image Credits
All photos were taken by me
Every Which Way
