{"title":"Once Upon","description":"\u003cp\u003eClara did not have an easy childhood. She took her first steps only at three years old. School was hard, high school was hard, and there were many moments that asked more from her than most kids ever have to give. Once Upon is the collection where she went back to all of that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou will notice something different here. There is black in almost every piece, which is not something Clara usually does. That black is the hard parts, the struggles, the moments that were heavy. But the colors are so much bigger, so much louder, they take over everything. That is the whole point.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere is one memory in this collection that is very close to Clara's heart. She was worried about her little brother Davi, worried that he would not be able to speak, the same way she cannot. Then she had an encounter with angels, and they told her not to worry. Davi would speak. And he did.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnce Upon is Clara looking back at the little girl she was and saying, I see you, I see everything you went through, and look at us now. Hang one of these on your wall and let it talk to you every day, because that is what Clara's art does. It reminds you that the hard parts are not the whole story and reminds you that you are going to be okay.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"my-first-steps-original","title":"My First Steps, Original","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e36×36\" (91×91 cm):\u003c\/strong\u003e Clara did not walk until she was three years old. For a long time, she could only take a few steps if two adults were holding her hands, one on each side. Nobody knew if the day would come when she would do it on her own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen one day at kindergarten, everything changed. When grandpa came to pick her up, the teacher said, \"You need to come and see this.\" And there was Clara, walking across the room to meet him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the way home, sitting in her little chair in the back of the car, Clara looked at grandpa and pointed up to God. That was all she needed to say.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrandpa called the family and told everyone to wait outside. When Clara got out of the car, she walked. The whole family was there, and there is not a single photo or video of that moment, because smartphones did not exist yet. But nobody who was there will ever forget it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis painting is from that day. All that pink, that big, bold, unstoppable pink, that is Clara walking. And the black around it is everything that made it hard; still there, but it never stood a chance. Hang this one where you need courage, because that is what lives inside it. The courage of a little girl who pointed up to God and then showed everyone what was possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce Upon\u003c\/strong\u003e is the collection where Clara went back to all of it. You will notice something different here. There is black in almost every piece, which is not something Clara usually does. That black is the hard parts, the struggles, the moments that were heavy. But the colors are so much bigger, so much louder, they take over everything. That is the whole point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcrylic on canvas — Serial Number CW1203, 2026 — 36×36\" (91×91 cm)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clara Woods Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48294427885790,"sku":"CW1203","price":1480.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/0701\/8661\/files\/CW1203_My_First_Steps_wall_sq_3.jpg?v=1780181731"},{"product_id":"elementary-original","title":"Elementary, Original","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e20×20\" (51×51 cm):\u003c\/strong\u003e Elementary school was not easy. The first year was spent understanding what Clara could and could not do, and the answers were not always the ones the family had hoped for. As the years went on and the other kids grew, the gap became harder to bridge. Speaking, running, keeping up with activities that came naturally to everyone else, those things were a daily challenge for Clara. The last two years were lonely. There were even teachers who said she should be in an institute, that she was a weight for the class.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut there were also Francesca, Enrica, and Antonietta. Teachers who showed up for Clara every single day, who tried everything they could to make things work, who never gave up on her. And the kids, each one in their own way, did their best too, even if the world still has a lot to learn about what it means to include someone who is different.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClara gave everything she had in those years. She has good memories and real struggles, and she carries both with honesty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis painting is what those years taught her. The dark background, the black lines, that is everything that was hard. But look at the yellow and the blue, two shapes side by side, full of light, full of dots that feel like little moments of joy. When even one person believes in you, stands next to you, has your back, something inside you finds the strength to keep going. That is what this painting is about, and that is what it will remind you of every single day you look at it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce Upon\u003c\/strong\u003e is the collection where Clara went back to all of it. You will notice something different here. There is black in almost every piece, which is not something Clara usually does. That black is the hard parts, the struggles, the moments that were heavy. But the colors are so much bigger, so much louder, they take over everything. That is the whole point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcrylic on canvas — Serial Number CW1204, 2026 — 20×20\" (51×51 cm)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clara Woods Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48294431686878,"sku":"CW1204","price":789.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/0701\/8661\/files\/CW1204_Elementary_wall_sq_1.jpg?v=1780182341"},{"product_id":"angels-original","title":"Angels, Original","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e24×20\" (61×51 cm):\u003c\/strong\u003e One day, Clara came back from a weekend in Austria with her dad, and she was happier than usual. I was curious, so I did what I always do, asked questions, one by one, until Clara could tell me what happened.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHad she had an experience with God? No. With Jesus? No. With the angels? Yes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClara was about seven years old. She told me that she had seen three angels while she was in bed. They came to her and told her not to worry, that her little brother Davi would speak without any problems.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI never had any idea that Clara was carrying that worry. Davi was just one year old. And in her heart, without saying a word to anyone, she had been worrying that he would grow up with the same struggles she had. She never wanted that for him. That is how much she loved him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDavi speaks just fine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLook at this painting and you will see it. The dark heart in the middle, that is the worry Clara had been holding all alone. And those rings of pink, gold, and teal wrapping around it, those are the angels, surrounding her, holding her, telling her that everything was going to be okay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAngels is a reminder that you are never as alone as you think. Someone knows what you are carrying, even the things you have never said out loud, and they are watching over you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce Upon\u003c\/strong\u003e is the collection where Clara went back to all of it. You will notice something different here. There is black in almost every piece, which is not something Clara usually does. That black is the hard parts, the struggles, the moments that were heavy. But the colors are so much bigger, so much louder, they take over everything. That is the whole point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcrylic on canvas — Serial Number CW1205, 2026 — 24×20\" (61×51 cm)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clara Woods Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48294563512542,"sku":"CW1205","price":789.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/0701\/8661\/files\/CW1205_Angels_wall_sq_1.jpg?v=1780192250"},{"product_id":"rocks-original","title":"Rocks, Original","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e40×30\" (102×76 cm):\u003c\/strong\u003e When I used to get calls from Clara's teacher saying she was throwing rocks at the other kids, I was worried and confused. I did not understand why she was doing it, and it was hard to hear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen one day I was passing in front of the school during break time and I stopped. I saw Clara sitting all by herself, alone, while the teachers were talking among themselves and all the other kids were running and playing. Nobody was with her. Nobody even seemed to notice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn that moment my heart broke. I understood everything. I could not go in and fix it, I could not change what was happening, and that feeling of watching your child in pain and not being able to do anything about it, that is something I will never forget.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rocks were her way of saying, I am here, I exist, please see me.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom that day we were able to talk to her, to understand her better, and slowly help her find other ways to carry that pain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis painting is purple and yellow and pink, big and bold and impossible to ignore, just like Clara. And those little black dots scattered all over, those are the rocks, still there, because that pain was real. But look how much color there is around them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis artwork is for you, because we see you. And we know that sometimes you have felt exactly like Clara felt in that playground, invisible, left out, too much and not enough at the same time. You are so much more than that moment. And you always were.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce Upon\u003c\/strong\u003e is the collection where Clara went back to all of it. You will notice something different here. There is black in almost every piece, which is not something Clara usually does. That black is the hard parts, the struggles, the moments that were heavy. But the colors are so much bigger, so much louder, they take over everything. That is the whole point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcrylic on canvas — Serial Number CW1206, 2026 — 40×30\" (102×76 cm)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clara Woods Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48294564462814,"sku":"CW1206","price":1280.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/0701\/8661\/files\/CW1206_Rocks_wall_sq_1.jpg?v=1780192690"},{"product_id":"moving-original","title":"Moving, Original","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e36×36\" (91×91 cm):\u003c\/strong\u003e We left everything we knew. Our home, our language, our people, the streets we had walked our whole lives. We moved from Italy to the United States in the middle of a pandemic, with no map and no guarantees, just the belief that we could build something better for Clara, a future with real opportunities, a life with dignity. I had stomach pain for two months from the fear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClara was the one lifting everyone up. With all her challenges, with a new country, a new language, a world that looked and sounded nothing like anything she had ever known, she was positive. She believed everything was going to be all right. She made us believe it too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLook at this painting and you will see the movement, the energy, the feeling of being in between two worlds, leaving one and reaching for another. The greens are alive and full of hope, the dark shapes are the fear and the unknown, and the whole thing is in motion, nothing is standing still. It is so cool!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMoving is for anyone who has ever had to leave something safe to go after something better. It is scary, and it is hard, and your stomach might hurt for two months. But sometimes the bravest thing you can do is go, and trust that you will figure it out when you get there. Clara did. And so can you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce Upon\u003c\/strong\u003e is the collection where Clara went back to all of it. You will notice something different here. There is black in almost every piece, which is not something Clara usually does. That black is the hard parts, the struggles, the moments that were heavy. But the colors are so much bigger, so much louder, they take over everything. That is the whole point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcrylic on canvas — Serial Number CW1207, 2026 — 36×36\" (91×91 cm)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clara Woods Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48294566920414,"sku":"CW1207","price":1480.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/0701\/8661\/files\/CW1207_Moving_sq1.jpg?v=1780193485"},{"product_id":"silence-original","title":"Silence, Original","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e24×20\" (61×51 cm):\u003c\/strong\u003e Silence is different. You can see it the moment you look at it. The colors are deep and dark and heavy, nothing like the bright, bold paintings Clara is known for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSilence is how Clara feels every day. The silence of not being able to say what you feel. The silence of being in a room full of people and still feeling invisible. The difficulty of moving through a world that was not built for you, of never quite feeling like enough, of feeling people's eyes on you everywhere you go, staring, wondering, judging.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd through all of it, Clara never once apologized for being herself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat is what this painting holds. All that weight, all that darkness, but look closer and you will see the red burning through, the flashes of light inside all that brown and black.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSilence is for you, because we know you have your own silence. The things you carry that nobody sees, the moments you felt like too much or not enough, the days when just being yourself felt like the hardest thing in the world. This painting is a reminder that your silence does not define you, your fire does. You are enough, you have always been enough, and the world needs you exactly as you are.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce Upon\u003c\/strong\u003e is the collection where Clara went back to all of it. You will notice something different here. There is black in almost every piece, which is not something Clara usually does. That black is the hard parts, the struggles, the moments that were heavy. But the colors are so much bigger, so much louder, they take over everything. That is the whole point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcrylic on canvas — Serial Number CW1208, 2026 — 24×20\" (61×51 cm)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clara Woods Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48294567182558,"sku":"CW1208","price":789.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/0701\/8661\/files\/CW1208_Silence_sq1.jpg?v=1780193917"},{"product_id":"beyond-original","title":"Beyond, Original","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e24×24\" (61×61 cm):\u003c\/strong\u003e When Clara was little she went to her first summer camp, sleeping away from home, away from all of us, for the very first time. I was so worried that I asked Carlo to sleep nearby the camp that first night, just in case. But Clara? Clara was fine. More than fine. She was free.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe told me she was so happy there. No complications, no fear, just life. Just her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat I did not know until Clara painted this, until she told me the story behind it, is that she carries that memory as something precious and also something bittersweet. Because now that she is older, she understands more. She knows the complications. She feels the anxiety. The older she gets, the more she needs to feel safe, to have things in control, and that freedom she felt as a little girl at that camp feels further away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis artwork is Clara looking at all of that and choosing to go beyond it anyway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two shapes in this painting, the blue and the red, warm and cool, side by side on that golden background, that is the push and pull we all feel between fear and courage, between staying safe and going after what we really want.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond is for you, the one who has a dream but keeps waiting for the fear to go away before you start. It will not go away. Clara knows that better than anyone. But she goes anyway, and that is the whole point. If Clara can do it, so can you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce Upon\u003c\/strong\u003e is the collection where Clara went back to all of it. You will notice something different here. There is black in almost every piece, which is not something Clara usually does. That black is the hard parts, the struggles, the moments that were heavy. But the colors are so much bigger, so much louder, they take over everything. That is the whole point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcrylic on canvas — Serial Number CW1209, 2026 — 24×24\" (61×61 cm)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clara Woods Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48294633734366,"sku":"CW1209","price":990.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/0701\/8661\/files\/CW1209_Beyond_wall_sq_1.jpg?v=1780197402"},{"product_id":"our-sunshine-original","title":"Our Sunshine, Original","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e24×24\" (61×61 cm):\u003c\/strong\u003e This is Clara's heart. \u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eLook at those eyes, that big red smile, the way this heart looks right back at you like it knows something good is about to happen. This is a heart that walks into the room and the whole place lights up, just like\u003c\/span\u003e Clara.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd this heart glows in the dark,  because that is what Clara does, she shines her light no matter what is happening around her, no matter how difficult the day, no matter how heavy the silence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur Sunshine is sweet and bold and full of life and love, just like her. And it is saying what Clara has always said without words: I am here. I am enough. And so are you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce Upon\u003c\/strong\u003e is the collection where Clara went back to all of it. You will notice something different here. There is black in almost every piece, which is not something Clara usually does. That black is the hard parts, the struggles, the moments that were heavy. But the colors are so much bigger, so much louder, they take over everything. That is the whole point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcrylic on canvas — Serial Number CW1210, 2026 — 24×24\" (61×61 cm)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clara Woods Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48294637895902,"sku":"CW1210","price":990.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/0701\/8661\/files\/CW1210_Our_Sunshine_wall_sq_2.jpg?v=1780197880"},{"product_id":"highschool-original","title":"Highschool, Original","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e20×20\" (51×51 cm):\u003c\/strong\u003e Four years. Four of the hardest years of Clara's life. Moving to a new country. Losing her beloved grandpa. A big surgery on her leg and foot that did not go as planned, four months without walking, four months of starting all over again. The loneliness of being a teenager with a disability, with hormones and big feelings and a world that calls itself inclusive but really is not, not even close.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEverything was too much. And in the middle of all of that, Clara exhibited her art in Miami in a show hosted by Louis Vuitton Group. She discovered what she was capable of. She found herself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat is what this painting is. Look at the bottom, all that black and grey, heavy and thick, that is the weight of those four years. But look up. The yellow is burning through, the pink is blazing, the color is fighting its way to the top and winning. The light does not disappear, it grows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat is life, right? The hard parts and the glowing parts, all mixed together, impossible to separate, because one cannot exist without the other.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis artwork is our wish for you. That's when you are in the heavy part, in the black and grey at the bottom, you remember to look up. The color is always there. And it is always louder than the dark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce Upon\u003c\/strong\u003e is the collection where Clara went back to all of it. You will notice something different here. There is black in almost every piece, which is not something Clara usually does. That black is the hard parts, the struggles, the moments that were heavy. But the colors are so much bigger, so much louder, they take over everything. That is the whole point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcrylic on canvas — Serial Number CW1213, 2026 — 20×20\" (51×51 cm)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clara Woods Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48294641828062,"sku":"CW1213","price":789.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/0701\/8661\/files\/CW1213_Highschool_sq_1.jpg?v=1780199162"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0488\/0701\/8661\/collections\/CW1203_My_First_Steps_Clara_sq_2.jpg?v=1780181496","url":"https:\/\/www.clarawoodscollection.com\/collections\/once-upon.oembed","provider":"Clara Woods Collection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}