Coleen Clifford
Colleen Clifford’s stained glass piece, “Flatten the Curve,” inspired by the response to the Coronavirus, was featured on the cover of the April 2020 Ink News. This month, we get to know Colleen a little better.
What is your favorite art medium to work in, and why?
My medium is Stained Glass. Glass has such contrasting characteristics as an art medium. It is fragile and can break easily, but with light shining through it creates such graceful beauty. I love working with glass because of the gorgeous results, but the process is super enjoyable for me, too. The various skills in making a stained glass piece of art are fairly specific to this medium...cutting glass, grinding, foiling, and soldering are the main ones...and they go in a certain order, so each step requires a new focus of attention. The designing phase...bringing an idea from my imagination to paper...is the most mentally and emotionally challenging. Once a design is established, the other stages are almost meditative to me at this point in my career. I love getting to participate in this duality.
When did you first figure out that art was important to you?
I remember appreciating fine art as a kid on trips to The Art Institute of Chicago. My parents took us once a year, so my sister and I got closely acquainted with the resident classics, like O'Keeffe's "Sky Above Clouds," Picasso's "The Old Guitarist," Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon in the Park," and Chagall's masterpiece in stained glass "America Windows." I admit that I definitely didn't have the best appreciation of what everything meant at the time, but my parents shared stories about the artists and explained what they knew about the work. So maybe I didn't fully respect how special the work was, but these trips exposed me to so much art that it caused me to recognize that there are infinite ways to view the world and express one's perspective. I never imagined I would be an artist, but I know that those trips made a huge impression on me.
Who is your art mentor?
My sister, Meghan Clifford, is a fine art painter and has been an artist her whole life. I don't think I can claim the same about myself! She has always taken the risk to express herself and can't be anywhere without a sketchbook. I was more of a crafter and reluctant designer. While we come to our art differently, she has been a huge influence on me, teaching me through her experience that it's important to be prolific in art, collect ideas and color palettes, jump in, and try new things.
Finish this sentence: My art is my...
My art is my sustenance, in more than one way. I am lucky enough to consider myself a working artist, and I have been able to find my financial footing in this self-employed arena. And as most artists will tell you, making art keeps me fulfilled, not only during the creation process, but also when my art is out in the world and someone takes notice. That is truly the most rewarding experience!
What advice would you offer someone just beginning their exploration of their own artistic self?
This is super hard because I think there are so many kinds of artist personalities. To overly confident starter artists, I'd say to slow down and don't assume their first piece of art is a masterpiece. Keep working and gain experience to be truly confident. To overly self-conscious artists, I'd say not to worry too much about other people's opinions, to make what makes you happy.
Do you have a website or blog you would like us to link to?
www.colleencliffordart.com