Canvassing the city

Meet Detroit-based artist Jeremy Harvey. Harvey is owner of the interior art company inFUSE Murals and the man behind the science fiction-themed interior of the Cosmos and the fantasy-laden vista found in the Beer Grotto. It wasn’t until his gig at the Cosmos that Harvey’s work had really found its way out of the Detroit area, but, given the response, it seems his work in Lansing’s newest pizza joint was only the beginning here in Lansing.

“I don’t want to say specifically just yet, but I’ve got a lot of pokers in the fire. Some red hot, some white hot,” Harvey said. “I think I am going to have a long relationship with Lansing.”

Harvey is hard at work on a mural for a brand new country/western bar called Duke’s Saloon that’s slated to open later this month in the former Harem Urban Lounge space. (For more on the transition, see New in Town, p. 28.) Aptly, Harvey’s mural, located behind the area that will be a stage, prominently features “Duke”-themed imagery like the squinty-eyed visage of John Wayne and the orange Dodge Charger known as the General Lee from ‘80s bumpkin bonanza “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

Even in its early stages, the mural is a far cry from his work at the Beer Grotto and the Cosmos, a testament to the versatility of Harvey’s talent. Painting a mural with cowboys and fast cars might not be Harvey’s first choice of subjects to paint, but, as a commercial artist, he relishes the opportunity all the same.

“This mural isn’t something I’d normally do, but I love doing it,” Harvey said. “Commercial work is really important because it makes you do things that are outside of your parameters that you wouldn’t touch otherwise.”

Harvey’s company, inFUSE, doesn’t just specialize in the bar/nightclub/restaurant scene. There is a component of his business that specializes in Harvey’s brand of artistry for the home. While you can get a mural, inFUSE can also deck out your living space out in a variety of patterns and designs. Things like tessellating diamonds of harlequin patterns, flowery faux wallpaper designs or, if you want to take a more unconventional route, abstract design. Given this part of Harvey’s trade, it’s interesting to imagine what adorns the walls of his own living space.

“My own house just has stuff everywhere,” Harvey said. “I really love what a pattern can do for a room.”

While Harvey, 43, has been an artist all his life, it wasn’t always about making homes and businesses look awesome. He started out dabbling in illustration, eventually developing aspirations to work in the comic book industry and drawing influence from such underground artists as Gary Panter and Basil Wolverton — and some not-so-underground artists like Jack “the King” Kirby.

Upon graduating high school, Harvey skipped over any sort college or art school and went straight into making a name for himself in the local art scene. It wasn’t too long before he scored a gig painting several murals for the interior of Detroit goth/industrial/punk hangout City Club. Harvey landed the gig through old-fashioned persistence and networking, but it also helped that he frequented the club.

“I was really into (punk and goth) stuff back then,” Harvey said. “I’m an old schooler.”

Like the output of any good artist, Harvey’s work has seen a steady evolution. Where he once dabbled in different styles and mediums, his work tends to be found on walls rather than canvases these days.

But just because his work tends to be commercial, doesn’t mean his style and influences aren’t allowed to come through in his work. Harvey said that the Cosmos’ work has a bunch of Kirby’s influence in it — particularly the pieces in the bathrooms — and the Beer Grotto’s work has a little bit of influence from fantasy artist Brian Froud. Harvey is aware, however, that this is still commercial work.

“Sometimes I’m given what people want and I just go with it, and sometimes I am allowed to go all out,” Harvey said. “It really just depends on the client.”

It didn’t seem to take long for Harvey’s work to catch on locally, and the future is looking bright. As far as where his art goes, Harvey just hopes to grow his business and take care of his wife and kid. It might not be too long before several local businesses are graced with genuine inFUSE murals on their walls. Just don’t get too attached to the name.

“I don’t like it. That’s the first step in moving forward,” Harvey said with a laugh. “I just wanted something easy for people to recognize.”

To see more of Harvey’s work, check out infusemural.com.