Bridging the Gap Between Design and Art
The River North Design District (RNDD) strives to connect the Chicago design community with the rich, vibrant art community of the River North neighborhood and beyond. We want to enrich the deep connections between interior design and fine art, which is why we love working with people like our newest RNDD Member, Maureen Claffy Fine Art.


Telling Stories of Love with Art
Maureen Claffy specializes in large scale watercolor and fluid acrylic artwork. She tells stories with art that are visual mantras of love for both residential and commercial environments.

Maureen paints about family, home, and love, on canvas, paper and birchwood. Her art is created with professional grade acrylic paint, ink, watercolor, pencil, marker, metallics as well as binding and grounding mediums. All materials are water based and water soluble. These materials are eco-friendly and waste is responsibly disposed. Only professional grade canvas on 2 inch deep gallery frames are used. Edges are finished so as to accommodate framing or allow for the art to be hung as created and delivered.

The tagline for Maureen’s business is “Art that Speaks of Love.” She sits with her collectors and listens to their hearts and their stories to create positive visual mantras that keep them focused on the beauty of their lives and their dreams.
Living with Original Art
Living and working with original art is very much like living and working with natural light, fresh flowers and green plants. Original art carries its own unique and life giving energy. It is a touchstone for positive mental direction and focus.
The commission process with Maureen Claffy Fine Art takes this focus further in authoring an idea and acknowledging a common goal and identity. The result is an image of positivity and hope that unifies the community and encourages the individual. For more information on custom commissions with Maureen, visit her website here.

Beautiful Works of Art
Here are just a few of the beautiful works of art Maureen has created over the years. To view her complete collection, visit her website here.
This is the story of a 2016 commission called “Mary’s Heart.” Mary’s Heart was her first true commission. Measuring 10 feet long and composed of four panels, one for each of the collector’s children. It is a series of interlocking hearts because it is most often true that it is hard to tell where a mother’s heart ends and her child’s heart begins. After installing this piece in a home in Hinsdale, IL, Maureen turned it into a beautiful scarf woven of the finest Cashmere-Modal 10/90 blend which quickly became a best-seller. Learn more here.


Below is a 2018 installation of a large scale watercolor by Maureen Claffy in Clarendon Hills called “Joy in a Bottle.” On the back is a secret pocket protecting the written story of how she created it on a beach in Michigan over two Summers and the story of how creating it transformed the way she looked at the world and the release of the need for control and perfection in her own life.


Welcome to RNDD
We are thrilled to have Maureen a part of our design community here in Chicago. To learn more about her artwork, her process, or the custom commission process, visit her website at www.maureenclaffy.com.