Sarah Charles didn’t intend to get into the baking business, but she turned a hobby of making creative custom cakes for friends and relatives into a home-based business she calls For Goodness Cakes.
Charles always enjoyed the cakes her grandmother made for her, especially the Easter Bunny cake she made every year. After her grandmother died in 2008, Charles decided to start making special cakes for her family.
It started out making cakes in response to requests from friends and relatives. She began making one cake a week while she worked full time in the mental health field.
“I didn’t realize how much fun it was or how artistic I was until I started making cakes for a hobby,” Charles said.
However, after she gave birth to twins June 9, Charles decided to concentrate on making cakes as a business. She started For Goodness Cakes with Dave Riley, a friend from high school who works in the restaurant field.
For Goodness Cakes is a home-based business that specializes in making hand-carved custom cakes for all occasions.
“I want everyone’s cakes to be as meaningful to them as my grandmother’s cakes were to me,” Charles said.
Riley started helping her with recipes and getting the business established. He soon learned that he enjoyed decorating cakes as well, Charles said.
“Our business is licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” she said. “We hope to have a storefront someday.”
Until that time, they continue to make creative custom cakes out of her home for special occasions, such as birthdays, baby showers, graduations and weddings.
“We sit down with every potential client to determine what kind of cake they want for their special occasion and provide them with a quote for their custom cake,” Charles said.
“At For Goodness Cakes, you get more than just a cake. You will get a showpiece.”
Their latest development is making groom’s cakes that represent the groom’s interests and are served alongside the wedding cake. They recently started advertising groom’s and wedding cakes online at theknot.com, a website for wedding resources.
They post photos of their cakes on the Facebook page For Goodness Cakes and have received many comments and a few orders from that exposure, she said.
They have created custom cakes in many shapes and sizes, including one shaped like a mug full of beer, a race car, tools with a toolbox, one for a baby shower that matched the wallpaper and decorations in the nursery and another that looked like pieces of fruit for a farmers market event.
“The hardest cake to make was the NASCAR one, with all the details and graphics on it,” she said.
Making hand-carved custom cakes is very labor intensive. Charles may spend four to five hours creating a cake such as the beehive with a bear eating honey pictured in the photo. The cake for a baby shower would probably sell for $100, she said.
They also make cake pops, cupcakes which look like lollipops. A coffee mug with a bouquet of cake pops sells for $10 and makes a great gift to give instead of a box of chocolates, Charles said.
The cakes come in many flavors including vanilla buttercream, chocolate, banana, cookie dough, marble, spice and a variety of fruit flavors. The majority of her cakes are decorated using Satin Ice fondant.
Charles gets most of her baking supplies from The Baker’s Kitchen operated with Thrush’s Pastry Shoppe. She said the shop has been helpful and is promoting her business by displaying her business cards.
Charles creates these custom cakes at home in between caring for her daughter Grace and her twins, Nathan and Natalie.
Her husband Kris Charles works in the cable television business and is very supportive of her cake-making enterprise, she said.
For more information, visit www.forgoodnesscakestoledo.com.

The 80-plus-year-old Toledo staple, Wixey Bakery, recently celebrated opening its second location with champagne and doughnuts.
“It was a blast,” said Brian Wixey, who runs the bakery with his father Dennis Wixey and sister Denise Wixey-Coulter, of the celebration. “I think we picked up four cases of champagne and had just about over 100 invites.”
The store’s second location, 4400 Heatherdowns Blvd., Colonial Village Plaza, opened in July. The bakery’s other location, 2017 Glendale Ave., has been operating since 1946. The last time Wixey had more than one location was during the 1930s, Brian said.
Brian and Denise rejoined their father at the bakery about 10 years ago. Both previously worked there until Denise went to nursing school and Brian moved out of the area. “We get along really well, all of us. I enjoy working. In fact, when we opened up a second location, that was my stipulation that I wouldn’t have to go over there because I really enjoyed working with my dad and my brother and, you know, my mom comes in as well,” Denise said.
The Wixey family decided to open a second location to make life more convenient for customers on the other side of town.
“Heatherdowns has always had a bakery in that location and we love the South End; and even though it’s four and a half miles, people come across the Trail, they think it’s the other side of the earth,” Denise said.
At present, the Wixey family bakes many of the products at the Glendale spot and transports them to the Heatherdowns front. While Wixey bought a lot of the equipment from the bakery that used to be there, the kitchen still needs some work.
“We’ll get the kitchen going and utilize the space a little more efficiently in the near future,” Brian said. Still, customers can expect a full range of holiday treats at both locations.
“Easter’s actually my favorite because of all the colors and pastels, but at Christmas, there’s just such a fun variety,” said Denise, whose son and daughter also work at Wixey.
Growing up, Brian and Denise had a feeling they’d end up at the family business.  “You know how stories go. You’d be at lunch at the cafeteria in middle school, and teachers pat you on the back and are like ‘We’ve got your baked goods in the teachers’ lounge,’” Brian said. “[And with] my dad, you’d get a bologna sandwich and it’d be tie-dyed bread. That’s always been a part of our life.”
Wixey’s history and family ties are integral to its success. Dennis’ grandfather, Percy, started the bakery and there haven’t been too many changes since Percy’s days.
“There are certainly changes, although not drastic ones. I think we just got a computer about 18 months ago so there’s that to be said. The equipment hasn’t changed. I mean, we have three mixers and an oven,” Brian said.
Brian said he has also gotten to know his father better while running the business.
“It’s extremely nice to learn, in my situation, who your father is as a man and work with him,” Brian said. “The most beautiful part of the whole thing has been the comprehension of who my father has come to be to me as an adult.”
Wixey is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday and on Mondays during the holiday season. Visit wixeysbakery.com for more information.

My tow-headed, blue-eyed, 5-year-old daughter Joeli walked into the kitchen while I was making dinner recently.
“Dad, can we celebrate Kwanzaa this year?” she queried.
“What exactly is Kwanzaa?” I quizzed her.
“Oh, you know … it’s brown people’s Christmas,” Joeli answered.
As I giggled at her most innocent, politically undefined answer, I came to the conclusion that her kindergarten class must have discussed all of the various holidays that day in school.
“Oh. I see. Will we be celebrating Kwanzaa instead of Christmas?” I asked.

“Dad, I thought we could celebrate both!” Joeli replied, revealing her motives for asking.
As a Catholic family, Christmas is the one day of the year my three youngest children discuss the rest of the 364 days. I would love to hold on to the notion that my children’s religious beliefs would cause such a dedication to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, but I am no fool. My kids are little consumer junkies whose only incomes revolve around birthdays, losing teeth and Christmas.
Later, when I was reflecting on Joeli’s description of Kwanzaa as a “brown people’s Christmas,” I found hope for our future.  Not because she was trying to figure out a way to get double the gifts, but because she described people by the way she saw them, as “brown.”
To some of you, using the word “brown” to describe a person is probably offensive, but when taken in the context of it coming from a blond-haired, doe-eyed, real-life version of Cindy Lou Who it is not. It’s hopefully a sign of the future.
To be honest, I don’t have many black or African-American friends I see on a regular basis, so my children’s version of the world is mostly a “white” version. So when Joeli started kindergarten this year, she got her first look at different worlds than the one she was used to. In fact, the first thing she said to me after her first day of school was she had two “brown” kids in her class and they were her new friends. My gut reaction was to immediately correct her, but she said her description with no malice, no judgment, no hate. Joeli proclaimed the color “brown” like another crayon in her box.
After further discussion, Joeli was satisfied with us celebrating Christmas our usual way, where a fat man in a red suit climbs down our chimney with a sack full of presents and does this all for a plate of cookies and a promise of good behavior.
This generation of children could be the first to demonstrate the results of political correctness. There is no Archie Bunker, no Al Bundy and nearly every TV show, whether reality or scripted, drama or comedy, is very diverse in its casting. It’s really easy to complain that political correctness has changed our lives; you have to watch what you say. Well, isn’t that the point? Should we really tell a joke where we have to look around first to see if we are in the right company?
My generation, aka “Generation X,” is the “look around first before you tell the joke” group. Our parents’ generation, the Baby Boomers, are the “I am sorry but this was how I was raised” apologizers and our grandparents are from a different time altogether. This next generation of children, the Xbox or Wii Generation, will hopefully just see people for what they are — people.
I am raising four kids, but I never really sat down and penned an outline of what beliefs I would implement in their lives. I am not a perfect parent, nor do I pretend to be in front of my children. I make mistakes — I swear excessively, I have mini-meltdowns where I go crazy about the smallest of things — but I love unconditionally.  I am raising them to love life and each other.
We do not discuss race in the house because it’s irrelevant. Trust me, I’m an incredibly “judgy” person, but I do not use skin color or religion in my equations — my judgments are based on character, intelligence and heart.
Don’t get me wrong; I still dislike a ton of people. I just allow them to earn it.
As soon as Joeli was informed Santa Claus is not a part of the celebrations of Kwanzaa and Hanukkah, she thought we should just continue to honor Jesus’ birthday. O

Email Media Watch columnist Jeremy Baumhower at letters@toledofreepress.com.

Most religions begin with a story.  That story infects the imagination of the practitioner with a sense of wonder and hope. Encounters with the holy, albeit fleeting, break through into the soul and the celebrant senses a belonging to something greater than the self.
That something has different names. For some it is God. For others it might be Allah or Yahweh or Jesus Christ or Vishnu or Buddha or the Great Spirit or Mother Mary or Sophia, or the Ground of Being  or whatever. Regardless, the story becomes important because it is the Rosetta stone of a particular religious community’s faith.

Without the story, there is no wonder.  Without the wonder, there is no encounter. Without the encounter, there is no sense of belonging to something greater than the self … and so it goes.
For the most part, these stories from varied faith communities are healing, life-enriching and liberating. At their core is a simple affirmation: There is something transcendent out there beyond the self (or deep within the self) that is generous, gracious and desires for us a holistic, peaceable and just life. So candles are lit, songs are sung, rites and rituals are rehearsed annually at the appointed time. These things are done so that we practitioners of our various faith disciplines might remember and allow the holy to rekindle that sense of wonder that is often worn away by the brutalities and vulgarities of life.
Two things never cease to amaze me. The first is that these ancient rites and celebrations still have a lot of punch to them. This is one of the grand mysteries of the practice of the religious life. Every year my parishion -ers and I work to get that pregnant mother to Bethlehem so that this child of hers (and ours) can get born and then gently laid in a manger. And every year, no matter how crazy the marketplace is behaving and how overscheduled our calendars are, the silence of that night breaks through and the tired and beleaguered spirit rediscovers the bread of heaven.
I like that very much.
The second is more troubling. How quickly those of us who wear the mantle of “religious” allow the healing and reconciling power of these stories to drift away. We replace that power with the harder edge of doctrine, law and belief.  We are quick to make judgments, draw our lines, define who is in and who is out, who is saved and who isn’t, who is going to heaven and who will roast forever. This temptation to moral certainty has led to diverse acts of character assassination, prejudice, violence and wars throughout human history. It is no wonder that so many today will confess to being “spiritual” but not “religious.”
Religion is not rational. The problem is, many of us in the religious community want religion to be rational. This leads us to define, objectify and literalize the stories of faith. Once this has happened, the story loses its natural power to inspire wonder, instill hope and bring healing. It becomes a hammer or, as the late Leonard Bernstein suggested in the sermon portion of his “MASS”: “God gave us the cross. We turned it into a sword.” All that is left is the brute force of decree. It is no wonder that one afternoon I found myself pinned to a storefront window by an overbearing street preacher shouting at me that I was headed to a rather hot and uncomfortable destiny if I did not accept his particular blend of the faith tradition I practice.
Religion at its healthiest is mythical. It is driven by a story and if we are willing to trust the story and get lost in it, a sense of wonder emerges. The interesting thing about wonder is that it never requires of us the need to be “right” about something. It never requires of us the need to control or define or even divide. It only requires of us our imagination and a willingness to simply “be” in the moment, a moment when we encounter the holiest of all mysteries: that we are loved — all of us — and because of that, we all belong to each other.

The Reverend Eric McGlade is pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Bowling Green.

“Man is a genius when he is dreaming.” — Akira Kurosawa

Dear Lauri,
I was sitting around a table with unknown people and we were having a séance. When the girl to the right became demonic and evil and turned to me and said, “I will give her you’re mean message!” Then I woke up. Not sure what the meaning is behind that.    - Shardae 24, West Jordan, UT

Lauri: A séance suggests that you are either rehashing old issues that ought to be dead or you are trying to get back in touch with a part of yourself that you feel has died off. Also, what you are told in a dream is something you are really telling yourself. The possessed girl is either you or someone around you that has become overwhelmed with anger or guilt. Your dreaming mind is trying to show you that these negative feelings are bad and need to be overcome. The “mean message” may be something negative or hurtful that you have said to someone recently or it is something that needs to be said but you fear it will be perceived as “mean.”

Shardae replies: I can connect this to me being mad and full of guilt because I can’t help out around the house and with my daughter due to a major surgery I recently had.  Also we’re on one income now and I feel like it’s my fault that Christmas this year won’t be great due to the lack of gifts from Santa. This makes perfect sense. Thank you.

-Lauri Quinn Loewenberg
Dream Expert and Author
“The brain is wider than the sky.” – Emily Dickinson
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Join Me on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lauri-the-Dream-Expert/360472650191>
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My new book Dream On It, Unlock Your Dreams, Change Your Life <http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Unlock-Your-Dreams-Change/dp/0312644329/ref=dp_return_2?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books>   is now available EVERYWHERE!

I am normally of the opinion that those reminiscing about ‘The Good Old Days’ should be bludgeoned with one of the ponderous tomes of history that illustrate how truly wrong they are.  That being said however, I have to admit that making judgments at least seemed far easier when I was younger.  Books, TV, and the movies had us convinced that cowboys were always the good guys (except when they wore black hats) good triumphed over evil, and love triumphed over all when we used to play ‘Cowboys and Indians’.

Reality proved far more complex as I got older, and many of the truths I knew from these sources weren’t always so.  Not all the guys wearing black hats were villains, not all the guys wearing white hats were heroes; and sometimes the Indians beat the cowboys (and deserved to) because they were just people trying to defend a land and a way of life they thought was their own.  As for love, it was subject to luck and circumstance; and sometimes in spite of the best efforts of the people involved, it still failed.

This comes to mind rather often when I look at much of what is portrayed in politics, and some of what’s written even here by my fellow pundits in the TFP.  Some of them still seem far too sure that you can still tell the good guys from the bad by the color of their hats (something that in today’s society could be considered ‘profiling’).  They appear naïve enough to insist that you can tell the good guys from the bad guys, simply by knowing the political party that they belong to.

Personally, I think that the reality of political parties is far more complicated and nefarious.  There are self-serving bastards on both sides of the aisle, whose only goal is to move up the political food chain by fair means or foul; and whose only care where the people are concerned is to pander to them publicly  while playing them for a sucker in private.  There are also good people attempting to do the right thing, though perhaps not as many as there used to be or as I would prefer.  Unfortunately, the current system is one that increasingly rewards party loyalty above constituent loyalty, with personal integrity coming in a tragic third.

Some might prefer to do the right thing, but know that if they stand in opposition to the political party to which they are nominally affiliated; they will quickly be relegated to political obscurity.  If they don’t support that party (right or wrong), it in turn won’t support them financially or otherwise; and will likely doom their re-election possibility.   Afraid of missing out on plum appointments or re-election, they are forced to stake out and defend ideology that they don’t agree with.

In what some might deem simple cowardice and others mere political expediency, both major political parties allow the flawed system of ‘adversarial politics’ to doom this nation not to entrenched positions as they would like us to believe, but to a two party-supported stagnation created out of the belief that nothing will change because nothing can change which serves their best interests.

Congress has become the place where good ideas go to die, as both parties seek not to calmly analyze the benefits and liabilities of an idea, but to mischaracterize and demonize it in order to bait their nominal opponents. It may be good politics to do so, but it’s bad policy.  Taxing and spending are both necessary to this nation’s future.  Common sense might put  limits on both, but allowing the demagoguery over such issues to die (especially in an election year) is likewise bad politics for the Jackasses and Elephants.

I would like to hope that those entrenched in ‘the party’ could simply be voted out office, allowing people of good will to do their job; but the incumbents in control of the two major parties seem to have far too much of a strangle hold on the system these days.  The rules of the game are written for their benefit and not that of citizens.  (How else can you explain that taxpayers pay for party primaries in spite of the fact that there are more Independents than Democrats or Republicans?)

It would be easy to join some of my brethren, and return to the simple-minded days of black hats and white.  Instead of demonizing the people, the parties (as I appear to have done here), I’d rather demonize the system and the ideas being put forward.  I may sometimes miss the days of my childhood, but not enough to return to playing ‘Cowboys and Indians’ with them.

Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Series No. 99 doesn’t loom large among key comic books, it is not worth very much to collectors nor has it even been reprinted. But for one comic fan it stands as something of a turning point. One particular holiday story within the book first taught me, way back in 1971, that there was more to the season than simply Christmas.

Dennis’ comics were a favorite of mine as a kid for the many special “bonus” issues that covered such diverse topics as the Menace’s summer vacations, his wide circle of friends and his Christmases. The holiday stories in particular always caught my attention, and one such tale has stuck with me to this day. In “Happy Holidays,” Dennis meets a Jewish boy and learns all about a strange “feast of lights” called Hanukkah. In those brief five pages, I first learned of the ancient celebration that began Dec. 20.
Growing up Catholic and attending a Catholic grade school, I’m pretty sure I didn’t meet a Jewish person until high school, so the story was a bit of an eye-opener. David, the son of Dennis’ new milkman, invites our towheaded hero over to his house to meet his grandfather, who regales the lad with the tale of Judas Maccabeus and the temple lamps that burned for eight days. For a 6-year-old who only ever knew of Christmas, it was an exotic trip that rivaled the issue in which Dennis and his folks visited Hawaii.
I’ve never forgotten that Hanukkah story and think of it every year when the winter holidays approach; it’s amazing how one little narrative in a comic book can make a difference in someone’s life. In it, Dennis was me, a young boy who learned that there was a wider world outside his own and that it had fascinating tales to tell — and that people with other beliefs felt as strongly about theirs as you do yours. Looking out at the wider world today, I wish everyone could also have read that story when they were just 6. Happy Hanukkah!

‘Soft Kitty’ offers fans a big bang

“Soft Kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr.”

If that soothing ditty rings a bell, you are familiar with Sheldon and Penny on CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory.”
This plush version plays the soothing song (only “for when you’re sick,” as they say on the show) when you squeeze her paw and is remarkably soft and cuddly. Available online starting at $29.99.

Rosetta Stone software practical, fulfilling

Rosetta Stone software can be a practical and fulfilling gift if bought for the right person.
The software stimulates the user looking to learn a new langauge audibly and visually with listening, speaking and writing exercises all accompanied by pictures. It even tests pronunciation and provides breakdowns on how to pronounce certain words. Touching on so many senses goes a long way in helping users remember the material.
Rosetta Stone would be a perfect study aid for somebody learning a foreign language in school. It is a fun way to keep the material fresh between semesters.
The software would also be good for someone planning a trip to a foreign country, but for someone looking to completely learn a new language, additional lessons would be helpful. Aspects such as the conjugation of verbs are part of Rosetta lessons, but the process is not explained.
The software is a great step in the right direction for learning a new language and the lessons are fun to complete. Rosetta Stone software retails for $179 for the Level 1 software and $499 for the complete set of five levels (a holiday promotion has the complete set discounted to $399).

‘LEGO Star Wars III’ puts fun spin on space saga

“LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars” is a great gift idea for the young “Star Wars” fan in your family.
Like all the previous LEGO video games, “Clone Wars” is fun for all ages with comedic cut scenes and exciting gameplay. Any violence in the games is cartoony and tame, and with unlimited lives there won’t be any frustration from failing levels.

There are a few somewhat complex puzzles throughout the game that might be difficult for younger children, so parents might be asked to lend a hand from time to time.
Parents can also join the fun with co-op that allows a second player to jump in or out of the game at any time.
“Clone Wars” takes players through the animated series of the same name and parts of the movie “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.” Throughout the game you play as several iconic characters, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, R2-D2 and C-3PO.
The game is available on Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and PC and retails for $19.99.

Curtis Dennis

With the score tied at 70 in its matchup with Norfolk State on Dec. 20 at Savage Arena, it was déjà vu all over again for Toledo.

Much like its game against Loyola University Chicago 10 days prior, the Rockets were defending the inbounds pass from their opponent with the game on the line. And—just like its contest with the Ramblers—UT was unable to stop its opponent from scoring the game-winning bucket.

“Well obviously a tough loss,” UT head coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “We’ve lost two games on a buzzer shot on a baseline-out-of-bounds plays. We need reevaluate our defense obviously in those situations.”

The Spartans’ Kyle O’Quinn made a lay-in off the inbounds pass with 2.4 seconds left on the clock to put Norfolk State up 72-70. After sophomore forward Matt Smith’s pass attempt from underneath the Spartans’ basket was deflected out of bounds, the Rockets retained possession at half court and called a timeout. Freshman point guard Juice Brown’s alley-oop attempt to Smith was broken up, handing Toledo its third loss in four games.

Just like their loss against Loyola (IL), the Rockets (7-4) didn’t have sophomore forward DeLino Dear defending the inbounds passer of its opponent. O’Quinn, who finished with 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds for Norfolk State (8-5), scored the game-winner over top of Dear.

Dear got the rebound on the previous play after a miss from the Spartans’ Brandon Wheeless but appeared to step out of bounds on the baseline. After the play was reviewed, Norfolk State retained possession to hit the game-winner.

“Against Loyola, I said if I had to do it all over again I really thought I should’ve put DeLino on the ball,” Kowalczyk said. “That was with 1.2 seconds to play; this one was 3.7 seconds. I think we had the right matchup. We had the right guys in and we just didn’t execute in how we defended that play, but it certainly didn’t come down to that.”

The Rockets struggled to get into a rhythm offensively in the first half, shooting 35.5 percent from the floor as they trailed 41-33 at the break to the Spartans, who shot 60.7 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes of play. The lone bright spot for Toledo offensively in the period was junior guard Curtis Dennis, who had 17 points.

Dennis finished with a career-high and game-high 20 points, going 4 of 6 from three-point range.

“My teammates got me going, found me open,” Dennis said. “I credit that to my teammates.”

UT’s offensive woes continued in the second half as the Rockets were shooting 36.7 percent from the field by the 8:48 mark, the score 60-49. Norfolk State, meanwhile, was hitting 56.8 percent of its attempts and held a 34-16 advantage in points in the paint over Toledo, who trailed by as many as 13 in the second half.

“This is a talented offensive team, and we didn’t make shots and it affected us defensively too much,” Kowalczyk said. “That’s a sign of a young team. We can’t allow how well we’re playing offensively to dictate what we’re doing defensively. I thought our leadership and body language was really poor.”

Sophomore guard Reese Holliday helped UT close the gap when he drove the lane, got the and-one on his shot and hit his free throw to make it 64-63 with 3:58 remaining. Sophomore guard Rian Pearson hit a three-pointer at the 1:28 mark to make it 70-68 and went coast-to-coast for a lay-in to tie the game at 70 with 34 seconds left before the Spartans closed it out.

“We’ve just got to keep working in practice,” said Pearson, who finished with 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds in the loss. “Just try harder on defense on the defensive end.”

As one of two upperclassmen on the Rockets’ roster, Dennis felt that the mistakes UT made in the defeat were partly due to the team’s inexperience.

“We allowed too much dribble penetration,” Dennis said. “They found open guys. Then [in] crunch time, I guess people started pouting a little bit, but that’s something that we’ve got to work on, especially in practice. We’ve got to talk about that.

“We’re fairly young, so we’ve got to learn from each game. It’s going to take some time, but we’ll get it together.”

Toledo plays at Florida Gulf Coast (3-7, 1-1 Atlantic Sun Conference) on Dec. 22 at 7:05 p.m.

“Homebound” by Clifton Harvey. Cover: “Lament for the Mended” by Clifton Harvey.

It’s no secret that Toledo is brimming with talented artists — visual, performing and otherwise. In this environment, it can be difficult for an artist to stand out.
Toledo native Clifton Harvey creates exceptionally fresh visual works, blending digital photography with ink and other digital tools.
“I usually start with digital photos I’ve taken and use those images as inspiration for the characters and stories I want to tell,” Harvey said. “I then draw the figures out in ink and scan those drawings into Photoshop, where I digitally paint the color and texture, matching the lighting in the photo.”
Growing up in Toledo, Harvey found art to be something of a sanctuary.
“As long as I can remember, I loved to draw,” he said. “I didn’t always fit in growing up and I often felt isolated, so creating art helped fill a void. I first became interested in combining illustrations and photography while at the University of Toledo, where I graduated with a BFA in new media.”
Harvey described his art as “illustrated narratives about hope, despair and a search for wholeness.”
While some artists may find inspiration in a sunset or freshly fallen snow, Harvey said he finds inspiration in “nostalgia and daydreams, doubts and anxieties, indignities and reclamation.”
“I create to cope,” he said. “So personal experience really guides the direction of my work.”
Harvey describes the creative process as one of connection and discovery.
“I sketch a lot and I archive everything I shoot, so a great deal of my process is going through all of this visual information with an editor’s eye, looking for connections. I enjoy the revelation in discovering an old, discarded sketch that now seems like the beginning of a new idea. My creative process has made me a bit of a pack rat, but it’s rewarding.”
Harvey said his long-term goals include
a book.
“I would love to eventually have a book of illustrations and short stories published,” he said.
Harvey’s work can be seen and purchased at www.cliftonharveyart.com.