ARTIST / ARCHITECT

creating art of buildings
designing artful buildings

Photo by Drew Perlmutter

ABOUT

clay is an artist based in atlanta, where he began creating art while completing a bachelor of science in architecture at georgia tech. he later returned to complete a master of architecture degree and received the top designer award. having sustained a rigorous drawing habit throughout school, clay went on to assist teaching drawing courses like the industrial design school’s, “visual design thinking.” today, clay holds a teaching position at georgia tech, where he teaches architecture design studios, and presents lectures on drawing at the high school and college level.

fascinated with preservation through drawing the built environment, clay’s portfolio ranges from sketches of atlanta neighborhoods to detailed illustrations with emory university’s archaeological excavations in greece. in 2024, the georgia trust for historic preservation recognized clay with the j. neel reid prize for his commitment to preserving history through art. most notably, clay illustrated the book civil sights, a historic guidebook and sketchbook chronicling sweet auburn, atlanta - the birthplace of the civil rights movement.

as a licensed architect with a strong theoretical foundation in building representation, clay composes each art piece with careful consideration of architectural detail and the overall impression of ink on paper. while traditional pen and ink techniques are often overly detailed and rigid, clay’s style straddles the line between Impressionism and realism. from a distance, his drawings may read as if they were charcoal, and up close, the drawing process is revealed by the meticulous layering of ink through a series of scribbles and fine hatches.

when clay isn’t drawing, you might find him hiking in the north georgia mountains, or biking around downtown atlanta. whether it’s a custom home portrait, design drawings, or a cup of coffee, clay is always open to building relationships and collaborating on good work. say hello!

PUBLICATIONS FEATURING CLAY’S ART

civil sights
visual communication for architects and designers
quantum poems
fabricated homescapes
building the carbon positive city

the architecture masterprize

AWARDS

2024 J. Neel Reid Prize

Marthame Sanders Award for Top Designer for Master of Architecture

Architecture MasterPrize 2019 Student Winner
2019 Portman Prize Competition - First Place

CLAY

KININGHAM

COMMISSION // FROM PHOTO