About Matthew Clifford

Biography
A graduate of the Art Institute of Boston, Matthew Clifford spends his time between Bermuda and Philadelphia producing Graphic Design, Illustration and Fine Art.

Graphic Design and Illustration
In 1995 Matthew achieved his BFA in Graphic Design, and in the 10 years that followed worked for various Bermuda companies including Preview Bermuda Magazine, Trimingham Brothers, Advantage Ltd, and Look Bermuda. In 2006 Matthew relocated to the U.S., producing work for Bodek and Rhodes and VWR International. Matthew continues to freelance as a designer and illustrator in both the U.S. and Bermuda.

Fine Art
Though a trained sculptor, printmaker, photographer, and painter, Matthew is also a prolific digital artist whose fine art prints hang in art galleries, corporate buildings, and private collections around the globe.

 

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From Concept to Fine Art Print
To some people the term “digital art” suggests an uninspired exercise with soulless results. Such preconceptions are quickly dashed upon viewing a Matthew Clifford print. There’s an organic nature to the work, a product of Matthew’s traditional art background and the time-consuming creative process behind each piece.

“Using a mouse is the same as drawing with a pen,” the artist explains, “so far as the time it takes to create one line after the next. Everything is drawn to scale, even the largest prints, some of which can take as much as six months to complete.”

So why use a computer at all?

“There’s a commitment attached to applying a stroke of paint that I always found rather unforgiving, and the chance of having to paint over an unsuccessful hunch would prevent me from experimenting too much, especially with pieces nearing completion. Now I can test the waters without retribution. The imaging software permits me to explore different nuances within a core idea, such as color and texture. It’s very liberating, allowing for a broader and more satisfying creative process.

How did you start?

“My earliest prints began as ink drawings that were scanned and imported into an imaging program. I’d only planned on tinkering a bit with color, but there was something addictive about the whole thing and I kept running more and more of these ink drawings through the process. After a while I grew tired of all that scanning. It proved much more practical to draw within the program itself, and things progressed from there.”

How else does working on a computer differ from traditional media?

“The funny thing with digital imaging is you can only see as much of the image as your computer monitor permits. I’m constantly zooming in and out between 100% and 10% views to see where one detail rests against the next. This is especially true with the larger work. Only when it’s printed do I really feel its impact, when I can see the composition in its entirety. The printed surface makes it real. That’s when it comes alive.

“Silicon Fine Art Prints produce all of my prints now, and they do a really great job. Seeing a print for the first time ushers in the same feeling I had as a kid opening up a Christmas present. Sure, I’ve seen the commercial and singled it out at the toy store, I know exactly what to expect, no one knows more than I do what this thing looks like, but come the big day I’m still excited, delighted, and grinning from ear to ear.”