Contemporary multi-media artist, Keith Linton will be a visiting artist as part of the Art Academy of Cincinnati’s 2010 – 2011 exhibition series. Linton’s work begins with contemporary, industrial products such as Styrofoam, plastics and other synthetic materials. Using both additive and subtractive processes, he transforms synthetics from their raw, original state so that the cold, manufactured presence evolves into a new presence that gives the original materials new life, character and a sense of narrative and place.

Among Linton’s influences are forces of nature such as crashing waves, the structure of the universe, futuristic architecture and 1960’s science fiction. Combined with the artist’s own thought processes, these sources of inspiration result in works that recall the energy of the action painters of Abstract Expressionism.

Overlapping the disciplines of painting and sculpture, Linton constructs environments out of re-purposed synthetics and combines them with new synthetics, wood and aluminum. Rescued fragments, found items and debris resurface in Linton’s works as multi-media installations. In his paintings, invented landscapes and settings emerge from wall reliefs that extend past the surface, resulting in a sculptural presence in otherwise two-dimensional works. His abstract sculptures start out as collections of unrelated objects that are assembled into new forms, treated with layers of paint and finally revived as new constructions.

Keith Linton was born in Louisville, KY, where he currently resides as an artist, as well as founder and director of Louisville Visual Artists Collective, a gallery and artist studio establishment. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Louisville and his Master of Fine Arts from Miami University. Fresh out of graduate school in 2003, his first exhibition was a traveling show in Texas juried by Jerry Saltz of New York magazine and Bravo’s Work of Art. Linton has exhibited nationally in galleries and museums in over 30 exhibitions in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Washington. In 2004 he exhibited at Arcaute Arte Contemporaneo in Monterrey, Mexico. “Evolutions” is Linton’s seventh solo exhibition.

Exhibition Dates: November 19 - December 17, 2010

Opening Reception: Friday, November 19, 5:00 - 8:00 pm

**GENERAL INFORMATION**