Steve Cleff’s Fluid Beauty: Reflections and Expressions will open at Philadelphia’s Amberella Gallery and Boutique on April 10th. Here is the artist statement:

“My work is about the fluid beauty of the balance between chaos and order, of the transition from thought to reality, of seeing things in a new light.

The show is comprised of two series of paintings and a collection of various pieces…Reflections |this series is inspired by the album Lateralus, by the band Tool, as well as the influences on that album of alchemy, philosophy, and personal evolution. It’s about looking inward to connect with oneself – to be able to connect to the outer world.

Expressions |this series is a response to reading John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing” in art school. Berger states that the “ideal” spectator is always assumed to be male and the image of the woman is designed to flatter him. I never liked that idea. This is my attempt at making paintings about who women are. These images are meant not to be literal portraits of the models, but elemental ideas representing the ethereal inner beauty of confident, feminine women. The work exists to create an experience where the women who view my art recognize their own innate strength and beauty in what they see.”

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