A Q&A with 
Brittany Clifford

"A painting is often abstract and open-ended, so a title can act as a doorway."

- Brittany Clifford

Your Hand in mine

Brittany Clifford. Your Hand in Mine, 2026. Oil, Acrylic, Spray paint on Canvas.

72 x 42 in.

Is there a specific emotion you want spectators to feel while viewing this piece?

More than anything, I want viewers to feel a connection. Whether it's romantic love, friendship, family, or even a connection to a version of themselves they may have lost touch with. The painting is really about trust, closeness, and the comfort of knowing you don't have to navigate life alone.

If this piece could speak, what would it say?

It would say, "I'm here. You don't have to carry everything by yourself."

You put emotion into your pieces. Can you walk me through what you felt while making this one?

I was thinking a lot about the people who leave an imprint on us. Some stay, some leave, but the feeling of being deeply seen by another person remains. While painting it, I felt a mixture of gratitude, longing, and tenderness. It was one of those pieces that felt less like I was creating it and more like I was uncovering something that was already there.

Reading the title you recently gave the piece completely changed it for me. I suddenly saw Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. Is what inspired the piece close to that, or was it something else? And do you think the title you give a piece makes a huge impact?

I love that interpretation because I can absolutely see the connection now. It wasn't a direct inspiration while I was painting, but I think both images explore a similar idea: the space between two beings and the energy that exists there. For me, the painting was inspired more by human connection and the invisible threads that tie us together. 

As for titles, I think they can completely change how someone experiences a work. A painting is often abstract and open-ended, so a title can act as a doorway. It doesn't tell the viewer what to think, but it can offer a starting point or reveal something about the emotional world the piece came from. Sometimes a title arrives immediately, and sometimes it takes months because I'm waiting for the painting to tell me what it wants to be called.

Conversation piece

Brittany Clifford. Conversation Piece, 2026. Oil, Acrylic, Spray paint on Canvas.

56 x 42 in.

A conversation piece is something so complex yet interesting that promotes discussion. What kind of conversations or questions would you like your viewers to generate about your pieces?

This piece was actually a complete accident. The colors weren't planned, and some of the combinations wre ones I normally wouldn't have chosen. Over time, I started to see what looks like a window in the painting. It reminds me of sitting with someone, having a meaningful conversation while looking outside. I love that the work evolved into something I never intended, because that's often where the most honest moments happen.
 

Catch me if you can

Brittany Clifford. Catch Me If You Can, 2026. Oil, Acrylic, Spray paint on Canvas.

32 x 30 in.

is there a specific version of yourself that you like to connect to while creating a work? Like the child version of you, for example?

Yes, absolutely. When I paint, I often reconnect with a younger version of myself. Catch Me If You Can reminds me of childhood, when life felt lighter and more playful. As we get older, we tend to lose some of that curiosity and freedom. This piece is about finding your way back to that version of yourself and remembering what it felt like to be carefree, imaginative, and fully present in the moment.  
 

All the things we left unsaid

Brittany Clifford. All The Things We Left Unsaid, 2024. Oil, Acrylic, Spray paint on Canvas.

55 x 55 in.

Do your pieces have a recurring theme, some recurring themes, or does each one stand alone in theme?

 I think each piece can stand on its own, but there are definitely recurring themes that run through my work. I often explore memory, relationships, longing, and the emotions we carry with us long after a moment has passed. All The Things We Left Unsaid is a perfect example of that. It's about the conversations we never had, the feelings we never expressed, and how those unspoken things can stay with us just as strongly as the words we actually say.  
 

For your Eyes only

Brittany Clifford. For Your Eyes Only, 2026. Oil, Acrylic, Spray paint on Canvas.

56 x 42 in.

Each piece resembles an explosion of colors and lines, would you say they reflect how your emotions look while creating?

Yes, in many ways they do. My paintings often reflect the way emotions feel rather the way things look. Emotions are rarely neat or organized. They overlap, collied, fade, and resurface unexpectedly. The layers, colors, and marks in my work mirror that experience. For Your Eyes Only is especially personal because it explores feelings that are often difficult to put into words, making paint the most honest way for me to express them.