Nutopia Productions

A r t i s t L i b r a r y

D o r i a n C l e a v e n g e r

Although a relative newcomer to the fantasy industry, Dorian has already established himself in a business that would normally take years or decades to achieve. The pseudo-realistic style and imaginative quality of his work seem to encompass a broad audience in a refreshing yet conventional way, touching everyone differently, in a manner that can not be put into words, but only in paint.

Born in Massachusetts, and raised in New Jersey, art was always a major part of Dorian's life. Coming from generations of artists it almost seemed expected that the arts would be a big part ok his life. Science and science fiction fas-cinatd him as a young boy, as well as the gratification of creating some-thing from one's own imagination and conveying those thoughts to a medium that could be shared with others. The more reality he observed the more it would feed his pseudo-reality, and the process still continues to grow.

After attending The Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Dorian entered the world of corporate and commer-cial art where he did commission work for companies such as Disney World, U.S. Steel and the European market. Although monetarily satisfying, Dorian was merely conveying the thoughts and ideas of others and not filling the void he lusted for as a child. For several years he ventured into the world of music, playing in many bands as a way to express himself but found it was still a compilation of ideas and thoughts trying to create one vision, not unlike five artists painting one picture.

In 1997, Dorian attended a comic book convention and saw a whole new world of art. This encounter brought him to the realization that there is a market for one's original thoughts and ideas. In 1998, Dorian hit the fantasy scene hard, producing two to three paintings a week, attending conventions, soliciting publishers and galleries with positive results. Within a few months he had generated numerous comic book covers, card sets, posters and magazine spreads as well as doing galleries and signings, and now the release of his first art book.

After experimenting with several mediums such as oils, airbrush, pen and ink and watercolors, Dorian found his niche with acrylic paints. This normally difficult medium to paint realism with gave him the satisfaction of oils and the tactile sense of paint brushes while having some great attributes such as radi-ant colors and quick drying time of water based paints, perfect for meeting tight deadlines and for someone with a short attention span.

His preference in subject is almost always built around the female form with a design flair unique to the industry. Dorian comments, "I think the female body is one of the most beautiful objects in nature, throughout time women have been the subjects of paintings for one reason or another and right now there seems to be a resurgence in female based art and heroines." When asked how he likes to represent women in his art he states, "I like to get into the soul of a person, usually through their face or their eyes which to me is the most dominating subject on a female. Basically I like to leave the interpertation up to the viewer for that is what art is to me, an opinion, what one person likes another may not, and yet they are both right. I believe I am dealing with emotions more than an exact science so every viewer should feel something different, for with art... beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder."

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