A 2006 BFA graduate from the University of Toledo Department of Art, Clifton Harvey, is exhibiting some of his most creative work in the UT Clement Gallery, located in the UT Center for Visual Arts next to the Toledo Museum of Art. The exhibit, on display now through April 12, is free and open to the public.

A Digital artist and Toledo native, Harvey combines his skewed photographic work with his unique hand-drawn creations. Drawing inspiration from childhood nostalgia and daydreams, his illustrated narratives depict surreal worlds inhabited by broken creatures searching for what the artist describes as their “missing parts.” Exploring themes connected to hope, despair, and the search for wholeness, Clifton’s work is an allegory for his personal experiences.

“An unspoken dialogue exists between artwork and viewer. During this exchange, unexpected conclusions are drawn based on our unique experiences. These unpredictable associations may not be consciously made, but rather felt deeply, like a sensation of nostalgia for something never personally experienced. Exploring the precarious notion that a camera’s ability to freeze a moment is somehow linked to reality, I digitally combine my photography and illustration to discover my own kind of photographic truth. The ebb and flow of inspiration I experience between these media wouldn’t necessarily occur if I worked with each independently.”

Harvey is accomplished young artist with several important awards and accolades to his credit. He was selected for the Arts Commission’s Artist Designed Bike Racks Project (2013) and the “You Are Here, Toledo” public art project (2012). Harvey has also won first place in the 19th Annual UT Alumni Association Outdoor Juried Art Fair (2011), the People’s Choice Award at Artomatic 419! (2011), the Juror’s Choice Award at the Sixth Annual Ohio Online Visual Artist Registry Juried Show (2011) and has had his work featured on the Behance Network.

Learn more about Clifton Harvey:  http://www.cliftonharveyart.com/bio.html
See his work on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/67209226@N07/

Tags: Art Alumni