COVINGTON, KY. — In Northern Kentucky, those driving around Covington have perhaps noticed an astronomical creature towering over the Midtown Garage parking lot. His name is Clive, and he's an alien who comes in peace. 

What You Need To Know

  • Marc Phelps, artist and owner of AlloyFX, created Clive 

  • Clive stands at 30 ft tall, resting on a parking garage at the corner of Fifth and Scott streets 

  • Clive is made of white foam and fiberglass 

  • The installation is one of a dozen courtesy of Covington's Quality of Place grant program 

Marc Phelps, artist and owner of AlloyFX, an animation group that constructed Clive and specializes in 3D modeling, said when he designed the 3D project, he just wanted to bring some humor to the city.

“I really thought a magnifying glass would be funny," he said. "It was one of those things I just threw out and I thought it would make for a good selfie.”

Standing at 30 feet tall, Phelps said the large green alien is made of just a few pieces of material: white foam and fiberglass. 

Phelps said he has been an artist his whole life, drawing and creating since he was just a child. Now, he’s made a successful career out of it.

"When I'm making art, I kind of lose myself in it, and I just enjoy it," he said. "It's kind of meditation and fun to create."

It took seven months to build Clive, and it’s now positioned across multiple floors of the Midtown parking garage at Fifth and Scott Streets. Clive can be seen holding a massive magnifying glass, examining passersby.

"I really just based his entire scale on as big of a head as I could build in our garage," he said. 

Clive is one of a dozen art installations brought to Covington thanks to the city's Quality of Place grant program, which supports public art creation to enhance the appearance of the city’s neighborhoods.

"It was really great to see people coming by and taking selfies and talking about it, so that was the fun part," Phelps said. 

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