Artworks

These are Clay’s affectionate and revealing photographs of this lawless melting pot in London’s East End, where, as Colin Mac Innes wrote in his book City of Spades, ‘ The castaways from the islands perform their sad and endless ballet, to which they are the only audience’.
Inspired by the photographs of Bruce Davidson and Robert Frank, Clay captured the strange mix of poverty, drug dealing and sex for sale, within a kindly but dangerous community. This was the time of the Kray brothers and neighbourhood rivalry, not as noble as the Battle of Cable street, where the inhabitants defeated the followers of Oswald Mosley in 1936.
Here it awaits demolition, in the slum clearances of 1972.

Some of this material can be seen in the archive of the Autograph gallery in Shoreditch where it formed part of an exhibition called ‘In a Different Light’ in November 2017

Mannequins and Pantomime Animals

A series of surreal portraits of waxworks and mannequins, assorted limbs and heads, photographed in the studio of Keith Gems in Ladbroke Grove. some are being prepared for Madame Tussauds, others for fashion houses. A bizarre collection of the macabre photographed as found. The pantomime animals were for an article in Tatler magazine. Dick Whittington’s cat met Clay at the station accompanied by the Mayor. Mother Goose was delighted to take a walk in her neighbourhood with Clay, her eggs were safe at home. The identical twins who were a pantomime horse, lived with two very small identical twin husbands in great harmony.

‘The Glory of The English Garden’ written by Lady Mary Keen, a doyen of the esoteric world of gardens, sent Clay to magical places. Her knowledge and his unique approach, changed the boundaries of this world of light and shade, and garden photography forever. The breathtaking crescendo of the dawn chorus that heralds the day, and the softening of the evening light, as the gardens nocturnal inhabitants emerge, are daily miracles that never disappoint .
Clay has chosen these wonderful gardens that we can all visit, they include, La Majorelle, Yves St Laurent’s masterpiece in Marrakech, Villandry the most exquisites potager ever. The masterly planting of La Plume, in Northern France, and the ever changing, painterly colours of Wollerton Old Hall garden in Shropshire,These are all represented here with many other gardens that inspire his work.

These photographs have been selected because they contain all aspects of Clay’s work. The ultimate professional, he approaches the diverse qualities of his assignments in his unique way, combining integrity with great observation, distilling the essence of his subjects, from portraying the perfection of an exquisites rose, photographing a monolithic turbine, or taking a revealing portrait. David Noble, publicist, and writer, has long recognised this rare quality and has commissioned and worked with Clay on many assignments. Here are the results of an extraordinary project for ABB Asa Brown Bouvere who manufacture robotics, heavy electrical equipment and automation technology worldwide.They asked for a brochure to show the extent of their work.
Clay was sent on a round then world trip. starting in Europe, then from Paris to New York on Concord, where he photographed the Amtrak train, then took helicopter and planes on to Rio where he worked with an armed guard, thence on to the Iguazu Falls Sydney Harbour Bridge,Tokyo at night, on to Jordan, culminating in a trip to North of the Artic Circle in Norway, on a skidoo.
An extraordinarily demanding trip never to be forgotten,an example of his versatility and dedication.

On finding the works of Juan Sanchez Cotan born on the 25th of June 1560 coincidentally sharing the same birth date with Clay, although some 340 years earlier, inspired Clay’s still life photography for his recent book of ‘Heritage Fruits & Vegetables’, this being a collaboration with Thames & Hudson and The Royal Horticultural Society, with text by Toby Musgrave. Cotan reproduced a contorero to work within to capture the best possible perspective. The contorero is a pantry in which fruit and vegetables were traditionally suspended to prolong freshness. Traders in the hot and dusty streets of Marrakech still use this method to display their produce. A carpenter friend constructed one for Clay making it possible to capture the beauty of these important foods, working closely with Tim and Candy Smit , and all at the’ Lost Gardens of Heligan,’ The book was an amazing wonderful collaboration , freshly plucked produce changed hands at Reading, Paddington and Earls Court stations, photographed in the corner of Clay’s studio in Ladbroke Grove. It was extraordinarily successful resulting in a glorious record of these important heirloom fruits and vegetables, that we must fight to preserve. Some of the photographs have been exhibited at WIsley Gardens, the beautiful Lost Gardens of Heligan and the RHS autumn exhibition 2012 where they received a gold medal.

Leading designer Peter Windett commissioned Clay to photograph ‘Evelyn‘ a rose that he had asked David Austin, rose grower of genius, to create for Crabtree and Evelyn, his renowned shops, that sold wonderful unguents, smells, and soaps. Seeing Clay work, David announced that he wished to do a book with him , as no one had captured the true beauty of his roses before, Peter insisted on designing it and Anne Furness commissioned and published it. This book ‘ David’Austin’s English Roses’ was incredibly successful, being hailed as the best in the world. Clay’s unique portrayal of the rose has not been easily copied by others, his knowledge of light being his innate skill . Clay also worked with Peter Beales, renowned for his old fashioned roses. Clay has a huge archive of these wonderful flowers photographed with great sensitivity. He has been sent all over the world to capture their beauty. Dumont publishing in Germany have produced a calendar yearly, which has been made possible by Clay being given unlimited access to a glorious collection of roses that are grown by Roseby and Robert for the ‘Real Flower Company.’ Maggie and Clay work on them together . Maggie arranges the bouquets and Clay shoots them, it is indeed days of wine and roses. The rose is the most beloved and romantic flower surrounded by mystery folklore and legend, it never ceases to enchant the beholder, from the simplicity of the humble dog roses in the hedgerow to a wonderful curated collection, there is a heady charm which brings extraordinary solace.

Clay has amassed a wonderful library of flower pictures which range from the most delicate to the flagrantly erotic.
The publisher Kyle Cathie commissioned a book of Clay’s favourite flowers, saying it was timely, she asked Maggie to write it, and they were able to travel the world and find beautiful examples in the most unlikely places. The extraordinary carnivorous sarracenia were in a drab collection of poly tunnels in England.
The red passion flower, glowed in the steamy heat of the tropical rain forest of Australia, which harbours pythons, leeches, deadly spiders, and the never to be forgotten plague of cane toads in Babinda
This was a wondrous journey. Amongst the flowers that Clay has chosen are the chaste arum lily with its blatant sexuality, and the shock of the Floridian banana flower, but perhaps the most poignant photographs are the collages of gently healing plants. The rainbow made from the petals of the herbs personifies the symbol that has been adopted world wide.

And the Kinetic movement

Clay’s photographs record an exciting time in the 1960s. His vibrant and developed aesthetic has come to define the period and the way events are recalled. Signals London embarked on an ambitious series of exhibitions, curated by David Medalla and Paul Keeler. Clay was engaged to record these and contribute to the newspaper ‘Signals News Bulletin’. As Guy Brett wrote,’ the quality of lucid visualisation and sensory richness define Clay’s work’ He recorded David Medalla’s ‘Cloud Canyons’ by day and night, and the vibrant and crowded exhibitions of visiting artists. When Signals was dissolved he went on to photograph exhibitions at Indica and the Lissom Gallery. David and Paul formed the amazing ‘Exploding Galaxy’ and Clay gravitated away from the art world leaving a unique and important record. These works have been shown at England & Co, his gallery, who are guardians of this important archive, and administrate it on Clay’s behalf.
This work has also been shown in the Tate Gallery, Sotheby’s Gallery, and in Sao Paulo.