ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Clay McIntosh created “Mazeppa” as an homage to the Tulsa TV character.
Mark Trezza and “The Seahorse”
Creative One local artist uses collage to pay homage to iconic Tulsans. BY ANGELA EVANS
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lay McIntosh graduated from East Central High School, but his career in advertising design took him all over the country. “It was the nomadic existence of the ad industry life,” McIntosh says. McIntosh lived in Charlotte, North Carolina; New York City; Dallas, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Lubbock, Texas; while he worked on high-profile national campaigns for companies like American Airlines and Frito-Lay. “If it’s a package of potato chips and the name ends in an ‘o’ or an ‘s,’ I’ve worked on it,” he laughs, “but I was ready for a big change.” He was offered a teaching position at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, moved back to Oklahoma, got married and started a new life as a professor. McIntosh now operates his freelance advertising and graphic design company, Clay McIntosh Creative. But after working for clients and following rigid teaching plans, he has a unique way of relaxing. McIntosh creates collages using Tulsa icons as inspiration. His method is to “create each likeness from scratch, assembling facial features piece by piece.” “I find these elements from different sources, kind of like a treasure hunt without a map — get
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TulsaPeople MARCH 2017
Clay McIntosh
an eye from here, an ear from there, noses and clips of hair. Then I put it all together to create a likeness.” He scans scraps of paper to digitally assemble his creations. So far, he has created homages to Mazeppa, Leon Russell and a piece called “Tulsa Jam” featuring a group of Tulsa’s great musicians. He currently is working on pieces inspired by S.E. Hinton and Cry Baby Hill. “The whole purpose of this work is to remind people that Tulsa is a unique place. A place that has produced a lot of people who have influenced our culture in big ways,” he says. A limited number of McIntosh’s prints are available at Ziegler’s Art and Frame. TP
COMMUNITY Mark Trezza has his head in the clouds when it comes to underwater exploration. He and his cousin, David Trezza, recently restored a 15-foot-long mini sub, dubbed “The Seahorse.” Television was influential in sparking Trezza’s underwater interest. “Sea Hunt” with Lloyd Bridges introduced him to scuba diving. In high school, his parents surprised him with scuba lessons. About five years ago, Trezza found a Kittredge 350 two-man submersible for sale in a marina in New York. It originally was used for underwater bridge inspections. “It was filthy, dirty and was this horrible lime-ish, greenish color — horrid,” he says. The two men rebuilt everything over twoand-a-half years and gave it a new brightyellow paint job. The Trezzas and their underwater vehicle have helped various law enforcement agencies with missing person cold cases that involved underwater search and recovery. “The Seahorse” is on display at Tulsa Air and Space Museum through April. — ANGELA EVANS
VALERIE GRANT
PIECING TULSA TOGETHER