'Drawing the Line: the Art of Comics, Illustration and Animation' in the Park National Bank Art Gallery at UC Clermont College

Drawing the Line: the art of comics, illustration, animation, an invitational exhibit curated by Kim R. Taylor, will be featured in the Park National Bank Art Gallery at UC Clermont College from May 4 - 23. An opening reception will be held on May 11 from 3:30-5 p.m. and is open to the general public.

The current exhibit features 40 professional artists specializing in all facets of comics, illustration and animation as well as a few current and former students of UC Clermont College. The roster includes artists far and wide, from Cincinnati and Ohio natives to artists currently residing in California, Texas, Illinois and Utah. “The Park National Bank Art Gallery is thrilled to be hosting this extensive and awesome representation of an art form that has such deep roots in American pop culture,” said gallery director, Nikki Vargas.

There is an artistic connection to the ever popular prime time TV show,

The Simpsons

. Exhibit Curator and Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at UC Clermont College, Kim R. Taylor, a former artist of

The

Simpsons

in the 1990’s, extended an invitation to friends and colleagues who work or who have worked on the production set to show their own original works in the current exhibit. Images of animation works by Bev Chapman, who currently works on the hit series for Fox,

Family Guy

and Sue Bielenberg who has also worked for a variety of animated series such as

Rugrats

,

Dilbert

,

King of the Hill

,

the Oblongs

, along with Adriana Galvez and others are among those who worked as artists of

The Simpsons

.

Exhibited works by illustrators, Nathan Jensen, Ray-Mel Cornelius and Larry D. McEntire can also be seen in the gallery. Jensen received the Arizona Book Award for the Best Cover design for his illustrations in the children’s book, “Life in the Slow Lane.”  Jensen’s process of illustration, from initial sketches to printed book for “Rattlesnake Rules,” is currently on display in the gallery. Cornelius has been a professional illustrator since 1977, creating work for clients such as Boy Scouts of America, Dell Publishing, Frito Lay, GTE, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Minute Maid and more. McEntire has created numerous editorial illustrations for a variety of books and magazines, including Texas Monthly Magazine and the Los Angeles Times. 

Also featured are the hometown hilarious comics by illustrators in Cincinnati, a group of natives as well as transplants to the Cincinnati area, who together have created a collection of comics deliciously titled

Twelve-Way with Cheese

. In 2009, a collaborative effort, led by Tim Fuller, brought together a dozen like-minded artists who branded themselves “The Zombie Marge Comix Group.” Included in this group is David Hartz, Associate Professor of Electronic Media at UC Raymond Walters College.

Professional artists include:

Bev Chapman, Sue Bielenberg, Nathan Jensen, Ray-Mel Cornelius, Larry D. McEntire, Beth A. Steffel, Matthew Board, Eric Ottinger, Josh Pfeifer, Job Limbert, Daric Gill, Calcagno Cullen, Rebecca Wood, Richard Eyman, Clint Woods

Student artists include: Kerric Z. Thomas, Maya Johnson, Rhonetta Robertson, Evan Thomas (the inspiration for the curation of this exhibit and former UC Clermont College student), Matthew David Lee Hernandez (current UC Clermont College student)
 
Red Eye Art book artists, a group of professional artists who currently work or have worked on the prime time TV Show “The Simpsons”: Adriana Galvez, Ben Lane, Eric Keyes, Lindsey Pollard, Nancy Kruse, Phil Hayes, Jennie Hoffer, Paul Wee and Alex Ruiz
 
Twelve-Way with Cheese artists, a group of Cincinnati illustrators, comprised of natives as well as transplants to the Cincinnati area: Brennan Bradford, Bruce Chrislip, Daryll Collins, Brian Hagen, Tim Fuller, Jerry Dowling, David Hartz, Woodrow J. Hinton III, Darcy Vorhees, Christina Wald, Viki Woodworth
 
The Park National Bank Art Gallery is located in the Snyder building on the UC Clermont College campus in Batavia at 4200 Clermont College Drive. Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. The gallery is closed on Sundays. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.