Clarissa Grandi

Clarissa is a UK-based geometric artist, author and teacher of mathematics, with an interest in traditional decorative art forms, including Islamic geometric pattern.

Her geometric paintings have been exhibited in Mathematical Art exhibitions in the US, including the 2019 ‘Women making with Mathematics’ exhibition at the Dana Hall Gallery, Massachusetts. And she is the recent recipient of a NESTA Classroom Changemaker 2020 award in recognition of her contribution to creativity in mathematics education in the UK.

Clarissa’s passion for painting Islamic geometric patterns in watercolours was first sparked on one of Samira Mian’s day courses in 2018. She continued to experiment with the medium, and since she began posting her work on Instagram as @clarissagrandi.art in August 2019, her follower count has been rising steadily into the thousands.

Clarissa is strongly influenced by natural form. She enjoys exploring the interplay between rigid, regular, human-made geometry and nature’s more organic and chaotic geometries and symmetries. Many of her works combine the two: a fivefold Islamic design infilled with peacock feathers, a twelvefold rosette with a butterfly wing stained glass effect. The organic feel of her paintings is enhanced by her use of loose, freehand outlining and nature-inspired colour palettes. It is a joy to feature her incredible work on this site.