Mind Travel: Get Lost in Justin Michael Will’s Art

If you need a distraction from the turmoil in the world, Justin Michael Will is your guy. His wackadoo comic characters, on display at Heights Arts’ Public Conscience through Graphics and Illustration exhibit through April 16, are meant to be an escape from the heavy political and economic issues we’re facing. “Anything silly I make can’t even be as crazy as what’s going on,” says the Cleveland Heights illustrator. “I just try to switch moods and make people feel a little more lighthearted, because there’s not a lot of that going on right now.” So he draws on bright colors, disparate patterns and cartoon characters with exaggerated features that bring up childhood nostalgia. “I don’t mind at all if people see my work as a sort of painkiller,” Will says. 2175 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-371-3457, heightsarts.org