A central focus of my studio practice deals with the subversion of found images in attempt to reveal what Jean Arp called the "secret soul of things".
In my case, the "things" are often a result of accidental discoveries made while rummaging in antiquarian bookstores, where "loaded" pictures can lurk, suffused with forgotten histories, waiting to be restored to new life.
My process of transforming appropriated material relies upon interweaving layered images, including signs and text, applied in various mixed media to create formal order and structure. Painting and digital imaging are mainstays of this reworking, often used in combination with printmaking and systems of image transfer.
Optimum results are ambiguous and allusive, suggesting the imprecise nature of "soul".
Paul Clifford