Sculptural art
Site-specific and integrated art
2-D art, including murals, mosaic, photography, etc.
Pittsburgh Creative Corps Artist Directory
Francis Cleetus
Primary Discipline
Artistic Practice
Assemblage, including found objects, multimedia
Murals
Painting/works on paper/printmaking
Royal Canopy, 2012, acrylic on wooden panels, 5′ x 5′ panels. Three ceiling murals commissioned by the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh.
Third Eye, 2011, acrylics on foam core board, 10′ x 15′. Created for a Puja ceremony at the Hindu Jain Temple in Monroeville to celebrate Goddess Durga’s triumph over evil.
Rope Mahatma, 2019, acrylics and rope on canvas, 3′ x 4′. Created for event at University of Pittsburgh celebrating Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birthday.
Wise Goddess, 2016, acrylic on foam board and fabric, 7′ x 6′. Stage backdrop celebrating the goddess Saraswati, created for a festival at the Bengali Association of Pittsburgh.
Karmalogue, 2018, themed art exhibition held in downtown Pittsburgh featuring an eclectic collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures.
About the Artist
I started drawing and painting at a very early age. My Indian-American parents weren’t thrilled, expecting to see me in scrubs instead of overalls. I reluctantly got a degree in chemistry (wasn’t left-brained enough to be a surgeon) and started working at a tire factory. Just a year later, I quit and joined the creative department in an ad agency as a trainee. Over the next two decades, I worked as an art director at ad agencies in India, Hong Kong, and the US and won a host of creative awards. My parents weren’t thrilled this time around, either.
Along the way, I also stumbled on my own voice as a designer, painter, cartoonist, and sculptor. I currently live with my family in Pittsburgh, PA and work out of my basement studio. I have created ad campaigns for Nike apparel, cartoons for the Pittsburgh Tech Council’s TEQ magazine, ceiling murals for the Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, and paintings/sculptures for art shows at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. But I still haven’t figured out why my wife prefers mauve over lilac.
To me, life isn’t always about the big picture. It’s about those everyday moments that slip through the cracks. Those deceptively insignificant thoughts, emotions, and feelings that leave an impression on people. And occasionally, show up on my notepad, canvas, driftwood, or laptop. I try to interpret life’s simple yet unique moments through my contemporary paintings, drawings, cartoons, and sculptures. All inspired by my real-life experiences with people I’ve met, lived, or just felt an emotional connection with over the years.
Photo by Sarah Tortorea
Web
Provides Fabrication Services to Other Artists
No
Teaching Artist
Yes, ages 10-18
Joined the Directory
November 2022
Related
PROJECT
Pittsburgh Creative Corps
Designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pittsburgh Creative Corps initiative engages artists and creative workers to activate the public realm while providing economic opportunity.
“Public art can express community values, enhance the environment, transform a landscape, heighten our awareness, or question our assumptions. It's a reflection of how we see the world––the artist's response to our time and place, wrapped in the tapestry of who we are as unique individuals.”
Francis Cleetus
Contact the Artist
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Related
PROJECT
Pittsburgh Creative Corps
Designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pittsburgh Creative Corps initiative engages artists and creative workers to activate the public realm while providing economic opportunity.
