ABOUT BILLIE CLAIRE

richmond, va             @billieclairehandmade                  howdy@billieclaire.com          

Hello! My name is Claire (named after my Great Aunt Billie Claire), and I am an illustrator and digital artist, specializing in hand lettering, ink drawings, and graphic design. I sell my artwork most Saturdays at the historic Eastern Market in the heart of Washington, DC; and I love connecting with my customers over mental health, community, and salty attitudes. 

I am originally from northern New Mexico where I grew up building forts and catching lizards with my sister Anna. We were raised by a family of scientists and teachers, which is where my love for getting lost in nature and identifying ALL the plants stemmed. I went to school in New Orleans, where I fell in love with a man and a city. (Things worked out - we’re married. Not the city and I… the man. Right. Anywho.) I had the privilege of working at Preservation Jazz Hall and as an event planner for the Contemporary Arts Center; and I got to ride the street car to work every day. I love that city like I would a person, and my chest swells when I even think of those oak tree lined streets and the French Quarter. From there, I spent a decade in Austin, Texas, which is where Billie Claire Handmade was born, and where my obsession with tacos began. We lived right on the greenbelt, and I miss the coyotes and armadillos that used to come up to our apartment so very much. During my time there, my days were split between growing Billie Claire Handmade and The Hermes Lab - where I taught after school clubs like sewing and crafts, and enrichment classes like world geography and social studies. Seeking new adventures and a different climate, my husband and I packed up a Budget truck and moved across the states to Washington, DC in the Spring of 2019. After a stellar first year in DC and a second ‘weirdest year of my life #thankscovid,’ we finally found our place in Church Hill in Richmond, Virginia. We love it here more than we could imagine, and spend our days eating cake, taking dips in the James River, and relaxing at Chimborazo Park with our quarantine puppy, Mootz.

Here are some general thoughts:

1. I freaking love goats and dogs, and cats. And camels and llamas and horses. Really, any creature that has some floofy hair that I can ruffle and snuggle. The Exotic Resort Zoo is my favorite place in Texas, and if you haven’t been there, MAKE IT HAPPEN.

2. I could eat tacos for every meal of every day and still love them.

3. Micron ink pens are the very best, and what I use for every single drawing I make. There is NOTHING BETTER than a brand new ink pen.

4. The natural cubic formation of pyrite is one of my most favorite things; it blows my mind that nature can make something like that, and it’s all MATH. (And chemistry.) (And maybe proof of aliens.)

5. I really, really, REALLY love cake.