Westfield Waves

Westfield Bank's executive leaders met for a strategic retreat to discuss the interests and aspirations that would define the bank's future plans for growth and innovation. One executive saved the post-its from that strategic summit and commissioned a painting that would capture this landmark moment in the bank's history. The original post-its were used to create the foundation of the painting, which was then developed using repeated text from the source material. The final painting is entirely composed of marks made from the words, thoughts, and ideas expressed during the strategic summit. The finished painting was temporarily displayed in Westfield Bank's Cuyahoga Falls branch, and now permanently resides in the patron's home. To this day, it inspires fresh points for recognition and revelation, capturing the bold and exciting spirit that marked the occasion.

Awesometown II

A client commissioned me to create a sequel to my Awesometown holographic painting, only to realize several weeks later that they wanted a different painting from the same series of work. Awesometown II was for shelved for several months to focus on the new work.

The following year, we moved to Ohio and I completed the painting as my first entry for the Akron Art Prize, which was prominently displayed at the Red Door Gallery, which sadly is no longer in existence. Awesometown II was later donated to the Boys & Girls Club of the Western Reserve and sold at auction to raise funds in support of their efforts.

Believeland II

Following the success of the first Believeland chalk murals, Wieden+Kennedy selected the location for Nike's Together ad campaign to celebrate the return of Lebron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Do to copyright, they had to erase our original murals for the shoot and asked us to return to restore the murals to their original glory. Believeland II represents the second wave of chalk murals for Cleveland's Historic Warehouse and Flats Districts. They were quickly embraced and have become a popular backdrop for social media profiles, wedding photos, tourism brochures, and music videos. We returned to spruce things up before the RNC with Believeland III.

smallBOX

Downtown Cleveland needed a spark to drive residential interest and growth. Enter smallBOX, a retail popup district made of up-cycled shipping containers and wood palettes. Cleveland's Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation (HWDDC) needed a creative partner to transform the parking lot into a comfortable and inviting meeting space. We created "The Lawn," using anti-graffiti paint on corrugated steel with a design that complimented the environment with a clearly differentiated aesthetic to command recognition and raise awareness.

Erotic Vultures

A series of erotic charcoal figure studies created for a winter exhibition at a restaurant and wine bar in New York City’s East Village, in 2012. The artwork was designed to provoke sexual and creative curiosity with abstract juxtapositions that bely scenes of intimate sensuality.

The Erotic Vultures exhibit immediately became a popular attraction for young and new couples, who enjoyed the unexpected inspiration and conversational opportunities afforded by each piece. The restaurant was fully booked all winter and extended the exhibit several months due to the creative atmosphere’s viral popularity with online dating applications.

Believeland

Cleveland's Historic Warehouse and Flats Districts were connected by a chalkboard wall that had been created 13 years earlier to cover graffiti, but had since been neglected and vandalized. Seeing this as an opportunity to redefine the neighborhood and create a positive experience for visitors, I organized a Chalk It Up event with some colleagues and created the large scale murals that have since redefined the area as "Believeland." This work has been embraced by everyone, radically shifting the way people view the neighborhood, Clevelanders, and Cleveland itself. Based on this initial murals, Nike selected the site for its Together campaign, the return of Lebron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They brought us back to create Believeland II for the occasion. We returned for Believeland III the following year.

Beautiful Later

CitiPond changed liquor distributors and needed artwork to replace the vintage alcohol posters that used to decorate Celsius, the heated outdoor restaurant and lounge at Bryant Park's skating rink in New York City. My brother and I each did two paintings, which were specifically designed for exterior display in extreme temperatures. To create a sense of cohesion and appeal to all ages, we agreed to focus on color, line, and shape as reflections on creative development.

Several days before the paintings went on display, Steve Jobs passed away. The title of the exhibit takes its name from Mona Simpson's quote at Steve Job's eulogy – “Fashion is what seems beautiful now but looks ugly later; art can be ugly at first but it becomes beautiful later.”

Roy Eaton

Mac had the honor of creating Benton & Bowles’ commemorative advertisement for Roy Eaton in 2010’s Advertising Hall of Fame induction program.

Roy Eaton is a piano prodigy who grew up in Harlem, New York, in the 1930’s. He first played Carnegie Hall at the age of seven and studied abroad, performing at leading cultural venues around the world. After serving in the military, Roy returned to the United States and was hired by Young & Rubicam Advertising in 1955 as a copywriter and jingle composer. He became “the first black at Y&R, and probably the first at any major agency, with a creative function on general accounts.”

Roy Eaton moved to Benton & Bowles in 1959 and worked there for 20 years, rising to Vice President, Music Director. His work shaped the growth and public perception of brands like Cheer, General Electric, Piels Beer, Beech-Nut Chewing Gum, Gulf Oil, G.I. Joe, Mr. Potato Head, Prell, Chemical, Crest, Yuban Coffee, Hardees, Honeycomb Cereal, Texaco, Chef Boyardee, Cool Whip, Harvey’s Bristol Cream, and many more.

Roy Eaton pioneered the connection, which is so common today, between music, musicians, and branding strategies. He introduced jazz to advertising, worked with Ray Charles on “America” for Black & Decker, and was the first to sign Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 to an advertising contract.

Roy is famous for his ability to use music to elevate the image of brands. Furthermore, his work for the Ad Council helped make the campaign against drunk driving one of the most effective social marketing campaigns in history.

As a young creative, Mac was deeply humbled to create this ad for Roy, and had the pleasure of meeting him at his induction into the Advertising Hall of Fame.

Cottrell Brewing

Mac started working as a regional sales representative for the Cottrell Brewing Company in 2006. They brewed Cottrell’s signature Old Yankee Ale, and also served as the brewery and bottler for Trinity IPA and Narragansett Triple Bock. It was a great job.

From the very start, he learned that something was wrong with the way large distributors were treating local beers. Seemingly half of Cottrell’s established draft lines across the state of Connecticut had been replaced by Sam Adams, which was a Coors product. This made sense when you realized that our distributor was owners and run by Coors, so there were more incentives for their sales reps to replace local draft lines with corporate. It also made them easy prey.

Mac found that many of the local restaurants, bars, and stores that had previously carried Cottrell had been falsely told it was no longer available. This put him in a position to make quick friends. Advocating for a local beer with no artificial preservatives that tasted better, was fresher, and paired perfectly with local food was an easy win and fun side to be on.

We quickly re-established Cottrell’s foothold across the state, and strongly expanded the brand into Rhode Island. To complement these efforts, Mac designed many of our marketing and events posters to raise awareness and appreciation of our local beer. The brewery has continued to grow over the years and remains a humble and consistent point of excellence in the community.

Idol Hands

Idol Hands was created in 2008 by Mac Love as a meditation on loved ones afflicted with cancer and the fragility of life. The installation was comprised of accumulated found objects over several years, including x-ray images, a light-box, and two 8-foot-tall styrofoam hands Mac made from recycled packaging and shish-kebob spears.

The installation was first exhibited at the Velvet Mill, in Stonington, Connecticut. Various pieces and new compositions were later exhibited in New London, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island. All were later donated to charity.

Wonder-Space

Mac was hired to create the 16-page academic registration booklet for Wonder-Space’s 2009 computer, technology, and engineering summer camp at Rice University. All brand and marketing elements for the book were created from scratch except for the logo and photography. This represented a wholesale different approach to marketing and communication for the program.

Awareness of Wonder-Space and enrollment in their programs grew dramatically as a result of the vibrant and high-quality print production of the booklet. The served as a bridge to help parents, community, and the public recognize and appreciate the impact and value of an education in computers and technology.

Rosalita (Umbrella)

Rosalita (Umbrella) was painted by Mac Love in 2008, and is a continuation of Love’s Umbrella Series of paintings.