Neil Clifford
ARTIST STATEMENT
"I believe the quality of our lives is enhanced by surrounding ourselves with art that express values beyond their aesthetic that possess intelligence in their creation, that one can interact with and that will stimulate the senses every time one engages with them.
Over the past thirty-five years I have travelled to remote areas of the planet, fascinated by cultures that live in community with nature - to engage with artists whose work is imbued with powerful connections to their ancestral lands. The awareness that art-making acts as a vehicle for understanding our place within a greater context guides my own artistic pursuits.
The rugged Canadian wilderness provides the inspiration and the materials for my new series of sculptures. While scouting rapids on wild rivers, hiking through dense forest or snowshoeing along frozen shorelines, I encounter special stones. Eroded and etched, some fractured and split by the powerful forces of wind, water, and ice and changing seasons - I choose each one for its natural beauty.
With great care and effort, I bring these stones back to the studio and create sculptures that compliment their unique characteristics. Influenced by my journeys into the wilds and by those whose lives remain connected to the earth, I strive to make compelling works of art for the viewer that evokes the dynamic of our natural world."
Neil Clifford founded his gallery/atelier in 1990 in Toronto, Canada. He is a sculptor, working in mixed media, realising one of a kind and limited edition pieces.
Clifford's creative approach reflects his deep appreciation of nature and also his desire to engage the viewer with visual and tactile forms.
The great understanding and sympathetic use of various materials, the intimate relationship between the process of finding forms and creating sculptures and the continuity and resolve from the concept stage to the final presentation define his studio and work today. His work can be found in significant international corporate and private collections and is exhibited at major art and design fairs.
