ROGER ALLAN CLEAVES

This is an animated short I made over the weekend. I've been getting all my main character rigs created and it's really been pushing the narrative to be able to play with these characters in the world of animation. This short introduces, Ava Sinclaire, one of my main characters, to FMNL (Forget Me Nots Land. I haven't figured out the sound of this world but I will one day. Take it as is for now. Enjoy. #animation #FMNL #FORGETMENOTSLAND #RogerallanCleaves #RogerCleavesArt #Av

I'm making some animation cycles for some future NFTs. It's really fun creating characters. Art has always been character based for me. I grew up when entertainment was comics, crayons, and pencils you could find. That's still my go to outlet when I need to escape from reality. This is my first attempt at Bookie's walk cycle. I want to try one that moves a little slower in the future. #art #animation #FMNL #rogerallancleaves #sketching #drawing #penandink #BookieBadBoy #anim

This week I started my adventure with NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens). What are NFT’s? From my novice level understanding it’s like Crypto currency, but in the form of art. I just see NFt’s as a way for my digital works, both finished and experimental, to exist in a realm where they are valued in a fair way. My studio practice has involved digital processes since the invention of photoshop. Since that starting point, I’ve branched out into animation, databending, glitch art, and

I've been spending most of my free time writing and building in Maya. I have several sketchbooks going; some are based on characters and others are for more abstract ideas. Whenever I get stuck on the story I try to draw characters and scenes . Ideally I would like to make a map of the real world that connects to the Land of The Forget Me Nots. #art #forgetmenotland #rogercleaves #narrativeart

#art #artexhibitions #contemporaryart #rogerallancleaves #philadelphia #painting #sculpture #mikerea #bertrandproductions

I've been relearning what I understood about Maya and learning what I can on mudbox. #art #digital #digitalart #swan

The ability to think about your work and only your work is the greatest skill you can hone in the studio. A practice should be focused. Lately I feel distracted by life and the holiday season, but I am trying to get back to that place where my concentration is at it's highest resolve. It is important to control your thoughts so that you can control your will. We have to let the momentary distractions that lead us to anger and discontentment to not lead us away from the love

I have met some really cool artist in the past couple of months- a mixture of old friends and some brand new faces, all full of positive energy. It's always nice to get a chance to informally talk to other artist and learn about their travels, studio practices, and to listen to their personal stories. It's easy to feel isolated within your own studio because the act of being an artist demands that your attention is focused on your work. When you come out of your studio it's

Some days you have to paint all day just to make two good decisions. Some days you think all day about the two good decisions you are going to make. #thoughts #painting #athoughtfulday #art #physicality #cerebal #howbattlesarewon

#art #artexhibition #rogerallancleaves #groundbreaking #theforgetmenots #emergingartist #abstractart #memphisart #artmemphis #Painting #contemporaryartist #artistblog #contemporarypainting #abstract #christianbrothers

It's been a long day of working outside in the heat to resolve the sculptures for my upcoming show. Making sculptures always gives me ideas for future paintings. It opens up doors in my mind that I probably wouldn't go through if I stuck to two dimensional work. I like when I have the opportunity to make objects that exist in space. These sculptures look and feel like loose abstract paintings to me, but they are made in a slow and thoughtful manner. I'm working using an ad

My studio practice has been leading my down the path of patterning and texture. I spend quite a bit of time researching Egyptian art and I'm interested in the ornamental ways artist from that era decorated sculptures and objects created for fashion. Everything in my created world has to have my own spin. I like to manipulate everything to my on liking when I pull in foreign elements unless it's for a really specific reason. I've been using Corel Painter and Illustrator CS -w

It has been a long time since I set out to make a drawing that was concrete in it's possibilities. Most of my drawings start abstractly now. I enjoy finding imagery in my warm up exercises and developing ideas from fragments. This morning I tried to draw something that was already resolved in my head and I found the task to be difficult in the sense that the idea of proceeding was just too boring. I generally find art that looks like it has been preconceived to be boring unl

I was recently featured in ArtAscent. I answered a call to artist to respond to the idea of youth. I'm really pleased with the write up about my work. I will post a link when they release the publication in the next couple of days. It really makes me feel good when people write about my work without trying to skirt around the ideas that I put into all the creations in my studio practice. It's impossible to understand my work without that insight. As a creator I don't set o

If you have not had a chance to check out Monsters Marks at AMUM the University of Memphis museum, please stop by and take a look. Below are a few snapshots and that is just the tip of the iceberg. For more information check out this link: http://www.memphis.edu/amum/exhibitions/monstermarks.php #contemporaryart #memphis #memphisart #musuem #artcollector #artcollections #curatedexhibitions #artexhibitions #art #painting #photography #monstersmarks #rogerallancleaves #wangechi

You can check out my work in the spring issue of ArtMaze Mag. I was selected for inclusion by, art critic and editor of Hyperallergic Magazine, Benjamin Sutton. It is a honor to be included in this international publication with so many talented artist. Please check out the complete list and pre-order a copy ! http://artmazemag.com/spring-issue-7/ On the cover: Howard Fonda, ‘Untitled’, oil and colored pencil on canvas, 48 x 36 inches #rogerallancleaves #artmazemag #artmaze #

I have some work in Monsters Marks. I hope you can check it out. I'm also in the a group exhibition titled A World Away in Jackson, Mississippi and you can read about it here! Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM) / 3750 Norriswood Ave., 142 Communications and Fine Arts Bldg.March 25 - July 28th (Reception: March 25 3:00pm - 6:00pm) Awe-inspiring, thought-provoking, and sometimes disturbing, works featured from Memphis collections make us think about how we define m

A World Away is open for viewing at the Mississippi Library Commission in Jackson ,MS. 3881 Eastwood Dr, Jackson, Mississippi 39211 It will be on display until April 26th 2018. The Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) and the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) have partnered to showcase artists adjudicated through MAC’s annual Visual Artist Fellowship Grant program. The exhibits, on display at the MLC building at 3881 Eastwood Drive in Jackson, will feature some of Mississip

What rings true? What deserves to be placed on a pedestal for review. Bookie, the main character from my narrative, is exploring these ideas in the current chapter I am writing. I have made a few paintings exploring some of the sculptures in the story. The sculptures are made up partly of scraps that are found in the Land of the Forget Me Nots and from things that Bookie has encountered in other worlds he has explored. Horseshoe elements are plentiful in the Land of the FMN.

Today is my first day back in my oil painting studio. I have been working with mostly drawing media for the first part of this year. I am definitely ready to smell the linseed oil and turpentine in the air. Getting started has been a struggle; everything is all out of whack because of The Forget Me Not exhibition. My brushes are not in the right position. My paint tubes are out of order. My palette knives are no where to be found.I have to get my medium to the right viscosity