Chad Cleveland is originally from Fairport, NY. Chad works predominantly in the medium of acrylic painting, but includes drawing and mixed media. Cleveland holds an MFA at the Rochester Institute of Technology as well as a Masters of Science in Teaching. He has exhibited for the past 20 years in Universities and galleries/studios across Western and upstate New York. He currently resides in Canandaigua, NY. 

"I am more interested in the journey of making art, rather than an end result. Most of my current work has a very raw feel to it. Visually I am drawn to contemporary portraiture. I have an affinity for the architecture of the human form.

I am very curious about the human spirit and the journey within, whether it’s a stranger or a personal acquaintance. There is an underlying energy to what we see, and I am interested in how this energy manifests itself through the brushstroke, as well as through color and space. Whether it’s a look, stare, or a gaze, I am captivated by the world within that resides behind the eyes. It is not my hope to steer the viewer into what I want them to particularly see or feel in my art, it is my hope that they have their own personal experience with it."