Stewart Cliff - Articles

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Often monochromatic, the paintings depict various objects on the verge of abstraction, presenting a particular way of experiencing the world as well as offering a reflection on the practise of painting in the contemporary era. The objects depicted range from the ubiquitous to the esoteric, however, on the painted surface everything exists on the same plane. this is not so much to question the value placed on objects but rather to express a particular way of looking at things where by objects are interchangeable, some supermarket groceries can be as arresting as an artefact in a museum from 10,000 BCE. In recent drawings Cliff has accentuated the sense of reticence in the work by creating an indistinct field of gently shifting colour by carefully applying powdered chalk and charcoal to paper . On occasion this field of colour is punctuated by water marks or by pressing a lemon slice against the paper. Acting as something of counter intuitive gesture this mark making gives the image some immediacy as well as delicacy, recalling early photography and the power and mystique that such images retained