Clayton Schiff

Clayton Schiff paints endearing, hybrid human-animals. Depicted in oppressive empty rooms, sparse parks, or in front of city tower blocks, they convey alienation with humour. A doodler since he was a child, Schiff's ideas come from daily walks and mundane occurrences. These are catalogued as sketches, and then rehashed later on canvas. He paints using soft, imprecise brushwork in muted, subtle colours. Often in green, ochre, apricot and delicate pink. Further inspiration comes from comics, dioramas and the fantastical illustrations of Maurice Sendak.

Schiff avoids a straightforward narrative. Instead, he creates paintings that follow their own internal logic. He plays with the positive and negative space, perspective, and proportion. Where there should be shadows of objects and people, there aren't. Time also appears suspended – like the dreamscapes of the early Surrealists Max Ernst and Georgio de Chirico. Other elements are portrayed in realistic ways. This creates an inconsistency that gives the imagery a hard-to-pin-down, mysterious power. They act as compelling, unsolvable puzzles. Custom-built worlds where his absurd characters can exist.