Alan Reeve, An Artist’s Story

Professional artist Alan Reeve has come a long way from his early days spent sprawled out on his family’s linoleum floor, drawing cartoons in tiny Eagleville, Ohio. Since then, he’s worked hard to become an accomplished, respected artist. Over the course of his career, he’s been recognized with dozens of awards, invitation only and one-man shows, as well as a nod from The Artist’s Magazine. He’s also racked up several Best of Show honors among his fellow artists at Celebrate Summer Art Show, High Roads Gallery, The Ohio State University’s Kuhn Gallery, Ohio Art Educators exhibit, and selected as a Masterwork artist. His work is found in collections throughout the world, including pieces owned by such notables as jazz musician, Arnett Howard, and even President Joe Biden.

Left to right: “Wachoo Say?” Private collection of Arnett Howard; “The Cross”, Honorable Mention in The Artist’s Magazine, private collection of the artist; “Counterpunch” Private collection of President Joe Biden

Reeve received his Bachelors of Fine Arts from Kent State University, but found some of his college education a frustrating experience. Having entered art through his interest in cartoons and comics, Reeve wanted to expand his abilities in that area. Unfortunately, at the time, aside from a handful of professors, cartooning in general was rather frowned upon. During his final year, Reeve was accepted into a computer graphics summer class which introduced him to a whole new way of creating art. Sadly though, there were no CG courses offered at Kent and personal computers were out of financial reach.

Some chronological examples of Reeve’s sculpture work, left to right: “Putsky” -1988, 4 x 3” Sculpey clay; “No Retreat, No Surrender” -2012, 12 x 16” painted ceramics- private collection; “The Black Keys” -2013, 12 x 15” cold cast bronze; “I’m Still Alive” -2015, detail, 11 x 16”

After college, Reeve further pushed his skills in portraiture, figure drawing, and clay sculpture. Armed with a simple pencil, he pushed the medium into exciting new territories. By layering graphite and then burnishing it with fine steel wool, he could produce incredibly lush, deep, darks that he could then “carve” back to the white of the paper with an eraser. This allowed him to create very “painterly” pieces that emphasized dramatic shadows and light. His pencil work, naturally led into works with charcoal and chalk, followed by pastels on colored papers. He also honed his sculpting abilities with commissions of area children, much to the delight of their parents. By the mid-90s, computers had become more affordable, and his first PC opened a whole new artistic world to him. He taught himself Photoshop, Illustrator, and web design, becoming among the first artists to make a website presence on the Internet. Reeve could now present his artwork to the world.

“Left to right: “Reflection” 16 x 23” graphite painting; “Liz I” 23 x 17” graphite painting- artist private collection; “Basking in the Light” 17 x 23” graphite painting

Armed with an artistic arsenal, Reeve was a natural fit when an art teaching position opened up at Marion Catholic High School where he then taught for 15 years until its closing in 2013. During his tenure, Reeve taught a multitude of disciplines including: drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, computer graphics, photography, and photojournalism. Recognized in Who’s Who of American Teachers, his knowledge and passion for teaching led several students to further their education in art.

Left to Right: “Sugar Bear Fix” 24 x 32” carved and painted foam board; “Geek Love, The Fly Roper” 12 x 16” Corel Painter digital art on canvas; “Quisp” 24 x 32” carved and painted foam board, private collection

After MCHS closed, Reeve lent his skills in the restoration of a Dentzel carousel at Carousels and Concepts, and picked up several freelance jobs including designing mascots for Promo Costumes, both located in Marion. Having made several artist connections in the Columbus area over the last decade, in 2016, Reeve and his wife Jennifer decided to relocate to Columbus. Familiar with the sting of having his work rejected from galleries for his “risque” subject matter, Reeve and longtime artist, Jay Mueller felt there was a need to create an art show where like-minded creatives could freely express and explore an erotica theme without fear of rejection. Presenting their idea to Alicia Jean Vanderelli, owner of the popular Vanderelli Room gallery in the burgeoning Franklinton Arts District, together they created Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Cabinet), the largest erotic art show in the state. This incredibly popular show has patrons eagerly waiting in long lines, many who have never set foot in a gallery, to see what has become one of the most anticipated art events in Columbus.

Left to Right: “Adoration” Masterwork winner, 16 x 23” charcoal, pastel pencil on colored paper; “The Way Back” 15 x 22” pastel pencils on colored paper; “Started Without You” 16 x 24” Corel Painter digital art on canvas

Unfortunately, the onslaught of the Covid pandemic has put a hold on the fourth installment of Gabinetto Segreto, but for Reeve, the news wasn’t all bad. During the shutdown, he was able to draw a long-promised caricature of Tom Petty for his wife. He sketched the drawing out on a small, playing card sized piece of illustration board, inked and water colored it. When he posted the finished piece to his Facebook profile, much to his surprise, three of his friends requested one for themselves. Encouraged by his wife, Reeve began drawing a huge selection of other celebrity cards while Jennifer opened up an Etsy site to sell them on. Since June, they’ve had a steady stream of purchases and commissions of the tiny, amusing pieces.

Collectible celebrity caricature cards. Each card is 3 1/2 x 2 1/2” Ink and watercolor pencil. Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller, George Clinton, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, David Bowie as Jareth

As far as his future, Reeve has no plans for an early retirement. “I’m at a point in life where I can pretty much create what I want, but I also want to focus on making the art world more accessible to ALL people while lifting my fellow artists. In my day, there were a lot of artists guarding their processes like starving mad dogs, and it was incredibly difficult to grow artistically. While access to information is better with the Internet, that can also isolate us. I think we’re all better served when we help each other, build artist communities that lift each other up, look out for one another. Since this pandemic, we should all better understand the value art has in our society. Look at how many businesses are struggling because art shows and similar events have been canceled, and now those patrons aren’t around to patronize them. It’s all connected. Art adds interest, color, vibrancy, gives voice to many, and inspires us. It is the soul of a community.”

“The Man from another Place” 12 x 16” Corel Painter Digital Art print; “Jennifer” 12 x 16” oil painting- private collection of the artist

Reeve’s art can be seen on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/reeveart and his Etsy site at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ReeveArtStudio .