He returned to Utah in 1896 where he established a studio and served as the first secretary of the Society of Utah Artists. However he later moved to San Francisco. His studio and $80,000 worth of art were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, after which he relocated his practice to Los Angeles. From 1909 to 1919 Clawson practiced art in New York City and then in the later year he returned to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles Clawson mainly painted portraits of movie and theatre stars, the later often coming from New York City.