Clare’s Funeral Altar

Nestled in a little house in the Yarra Valley, surrounded by forest and her garden, Clare James creates. She is an artist, florist, gardener, general maker and mother, weaving her life and art together in ways that feel both grounded and magical.

Clare paints, draws, stitches, sculpts, and designs, taking inspiration from the surrounding forest and the natural world around her. 

Alongside her work as an artist, she also creates beautiful altars for funerals and memorial ceremonies. These are not simply arrangements, but powerful, intentional spaces of care. They honour and remember, inviting connection and offering a place to pause, reflect and feel. Tender and thoughtfully crafted, they become tributes that speak more than words can.

Clare’s artistry reminds us of how meaningful it is to make space for memory and love. A funeral can take many shapes. It doesn’t need to follow the same format every time. It can be soft or bold, traditional or creative, held inside, outside, by candlelight, or under the sun. What matters most is that it feels true to the person being remembered.  

How beautiful are these.