Gloria Clifford

Hours spent exploring native Virginia woodlands or row boating in the immense lake where I grew up led me down the path toward a lifelong love for nature and “all things water”. As a young artist, I began painting in oils when only 12 years old. My greatest passion currently as an artist is sea life, especially the sea creatures that dwell within incredibly gorgeous coral reefs I saw “up close and personal” as a scuba diver, while living in the Florida Keys. I also adore creating magical mermaids and whimsical sea creatures which dance around in my head on occasion.

The way I usually begin new works of art is to gaze through immense folders of collected images until I find I can no longer contain my excitement for a certain subject. In this search for inspiration, I literally find myself in love with any given creature or theme from the sea, then immediately plan out how best to convey those same feelings within new works of art! I usually work in “collections”, drawing out multiple images of one subject as the focus for that given theme. By my use of a signature brilliant color palette, my goal is always to convey the love for the subject along to future viewers and/or collectors. Although I've 'made art” for years and years using just about every medium known to man, my favorite mediums at this time seem to be watercolor and acrylic paints, sometimes using them separately, sometimes using them together within one painting. I'm also in love with the new metallic paints and metallic papers and use them within some of my more whimsical artworks! I absolutely adore watching gorgeous colors dance across the surface of canvas or paper, creating something meaningful and beautiful within this process!