Claire Haye is a well-known visual artist. She has lived in Taos, New Mexico since 1978. She came here as a young woman with her husband and two small daughters. Time has passed, she has become a grandmother, a widow and a senior citizen. For nearly two decades, she has owned her own gallery, Claireworks, in the charming mountain village of Arroyo Seco, New Mexico. Claire has had considerable success with her original jewelry and fine art.
Claire loves the independence that her gallery has provided her. She lives in a beautiful rambling adobe house surrounded by piñon and juniper trees. Her nearest neighbors are rabbits, ravens and an occasional skunk. Sometimes she is lonely and restless, but most often she is fully occupied by her many art projects. Last year she completed a large ceramic mural as well as a dozen new jewelry designs. You can view her work at www.claireworks.com.
Writing A Modern Woman’s Guide to Aging has been a departure from Claire’s more recognized pursuits as a painter, sculptor and jeweler. Her art collectors may be quite surprised that Claire has written a guide to aging. They never knew her as the intellectual young girl who read five books a week, the serious student of science or over the years as an author of curiously dark poetry.
A conversation between Claire and her friend Jane gave birth to the idea of writing about issues specific to aging women. The project resonated more with Claire than Jane. Surprise. After two years, considerable reading, research, writing, and editing Claire produced this volume. For her this has been a fascinating journey of learning and acceptance. Now that the guide is finished, Claire has the time and the fervent desire to implement her own recommendations.