“No two people see the same painting....”

I have always painted. My first solo exhibition was in the mid eighties. I am a regular exhibitor in the Fordingbridge Summer Exhibition. And also at other occasional opens.

Having a day job allows true freedom to experiment artistically without having to second guess what an imaginary potential viewer might or might not like. A sure road to cliché. It also avoids getting stuck in the stylistic rut of continually doing what is expected from you. My styles evolve continually.

Recently I have been playing with depth and surface movement, doing this by using contrasting textures and surface finishes, be that matt, gloss, and metallic pigments reflective against light absorbing and recently luminous. Trying to breathe life into a static surface that changes with the changing light. Photos are too limited to capture these works, which deliberately change with the slightest movement of the head. For full effect you need see the actual canvas. Visitors always welcome by appointment.

Contact: cliffjbrown@protonmail.com

I leave plenty of space in my work for the viewers input. No two people see the same painting as every viewer's emotional response to art is unique, so the less prescriptive the image the better. I work from photographs when I need reference, but I will only work from my own photography.

Previously only working with oils, I have now embraced acrylics which reduce the drying time, increasingly important with built up layered textures which can take months to complete.

Inspiration comes from many places but often returns to the New Forest environment, it's historic Victorian tales of witchcraft and the intertwined life-cycles of its ecology. The ever present decay which could be the beginning or the end of that circle.

Art Club