Westchester artist Brittany Clifford creates striking abstract compositions driven by movement and color. Starting from a dark base, Clifford builds layer upon layer of acrylic and spray paint, which adds an airy quality to her work. The dark underpainting lifts the color from the canvas, creating an ethereal, almost mystical effect. Inspired by Romantic paintings, Clifford’s oeuvre is characterized by stark chromatic contrasts and dramatic atmospheres executed with fearless expressionistic brushwork. Her art, however, is not the product of a tormented mind - “I make my best work when I am happy” she says - but rather an indication of her determined and confident nature. The soft femininity of her forms and the fierce masculine energy that lies behind them is present in her work as well as her life: romantic and dreamy, Clifford spends hours training as a boxer. Her goal is for her art to be a truthful representation of herself and offer a meaningful experience to the viewer.

Clifford studied Textile Design and Fine Arts at the Fashion Institute of Technology. In addition to her paintings, she is designing a collection of one-of-a-kind hand-dyed silk scarves using batik wax. She also recently completed a series of painted mannequins.