The Back Road Home
Original Artwork by Candy Clarke
Whakatū, Nelson
Medium: Acrylic paint. Painted in reverse on 3mm perspex sheet
Dimensions: 900×900mm
Originally from Kerikeri and now based in Nelson, Candy Clarke has developed a practice that is as recognisable as it is playful. Her signature technique - painting in reverse on Perspex - began as an accident more than twenty years ago and has since become the foundation of her distinctive style.
By working backwards on clear acrylic sheets, Candy creates layers of colour and imagery that seem to glow from within. Her work shifts easily between abstraction and storytelling, often weaving in fragments of language - lines from songs, snippets of conversation, or familiar phrases - that bring humour, rhythm, and reflection to each piece.
Candy’s paintings explore the quirks and poetry of everyday life with a lightness of touch and an instinct for composition that makes her work both contemporary and deeply human.
A graduate of the Dunedin School of Art and NMIT in Nelson, Candy Clarke’s art is held in collections throughout Aotearoa and beyond.
Original Artwork by Candy Clarke
Whakatū, Nelson
Medium: Acrylic paint. Painted in reverse on 3mm perspex sheet
Dimensions: 900×900mm
Originally from Kerikeri and now based in Nelson, Candy Clarke has developed a practice that is as recognisable as it is playful. Her signature technique - painting in reverse on Perspex - began as an accident more than twenty years ago and has since become the foundation of her distinctive style.
By working backwards on clear acrylic sheets, Candy creates layers of colour and imagery that seem to glow from within. Her work shifts easily between abstraction and storytelling, often weaving in fragments of language - lines from songs, snippets of conversation, or familiar phrases - that bring humour, rhythm, and reflection to each piece.
Candy’s paintings explore the quirks and poetry of everyday life with a lightness of touch and an instinct for composition that makes her work both contemporary and deeply human.
A graduate of the Dunedin School of Art and NMIT in Nelson, Candy Clarke’s art is held in collections throughout Aotearoa and beyond.

