Clare Menk was born in Durban in 1969. She received a BA in Fine Arts from Stellenbosch University in 1990, an Advanced Diploma in Fine Art (painting) from the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Art in 1991, and an MA in Fine Arts (painting) from Stellenbosch University in 1996. She also pursued post-graduate studies at the Akademie der Bilden Künste in Dresden, Germany, in 1998. Menck is known for her figurative oil paintings, which often feature self-portraits, as well as representations of her family, friends, and dogs. They are a record of her life and offer insights into the everyday challenges of balancing family and work. Typically, her figures are not the sole focus of the paintings, as she frequently places them within landscapes or in or near water. Between 2011 and 2012, she had a national travelling mid-career retrospective titled Clare Menck: Hidden Life – Twenty Years of Painting (1990-2010), curated by Stefan Hundt from the Sanlam Art Collection. She continues to exhibit her work both locally and internationally.