"It becomes imbued within you. It becomes part of you and part of your own history, and a shared history as well"
Cliff is one of those people with whom conversation unfolds endlessly. In the space of an hour, you come away having learned ten different things. It can range from art and people to jazz and the nature of attention. Thea (the new gallery assistant) and Cliff had their first meeting during his recent group exhibition at Prince & Pilgrim Gallery. What was immediately apparent was that his sensitivity is not only aesthetic, but lived.
His relationship with SHOWstudio began in 2022, when he was invited to respond remotely to Milan Men’s A/W collections. The three-day project was intense, producing nine works in quick succession , one of which now forms part of the Box Set.
Cliff’s artistic path did not follow a conventional art-world pipeline. While he trained at art school in Liverpool and has never stopped making work, he spent many years working in social housing, supporting communities, housing officers, and outreach initiatives. This parallel life has left a deep imprint on his practice, shaping how he understands people, emotional presence, and restraint.
During their conversation, Cliff described his work as figurative introspection. His figures appear turned slightly inward, resisting performance and spectacle. Narrative is suggested rather than imposed, which is why he often leaves his works untitled, allowing each viewer to find their own meaning through their encounter with the piece.
Working primarily with acrylic and charcoal, Cliff allows chance, smudging, and accident to enter the image before exercising restraint. As well as recognising when a work has reached its own conclusion.
When asked about the term “illustration,” he admitted to a certain resistance. Not out of dismissal, but because it felt too narrow. He prefers “image-making,” a term that allows for greater elasticity and space within his practice. The conversation also touched on fashion as a form of perception. Something that, once understood, becomes embedded. As it did in his practice. Cliff described this internalisation simply: “It becomes imbued within you. It becomes part of you and part of your own history, and a shared history as well."
For Cliff fashion is never autonomous. Garments only come alive when worn. It is the relationship between the body, the face, and the clothing. A mutual activation.
Cliff also spoke candidly about the loneliness inherent in being an artist. For him, SHOWstudio and the Shop Gallery matter precisely because they offer a sense of community and connection that exists alongside his individual trajectory and practice.
See Cliffs work here