Origin
AN IMPROMPTU COLLECTIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING
The year would have been 1985. I was in the seventh grade when I first began drawing with any sort of notion of possible ability. I was a weird, hyper kid, so it was near impossible to keep me steadily focused on anything I was involved in. The greatest example of this being the extraneous relationship developing between me and my formal education, which unfortunately remained on a path of corrosion in the years to follow. I was becoming of the mindset that my school day, and all of it's associated obligations , were officially done the moment that final bell rang and I exited the building for the day. I actively participated in class and always tested well, so it seemed a perfectly reasonable compromise. This newly adapted "recipe for success" as it were, began affording me extensive tours in solitary confinement at home. As one would imagine, my parents were understandably less than sympathetic to this bold new vision of mine. My, how shackled be the imaginations of these millions of adults the world over. So yeah, keeping in mind that this was 1985. The average kids bedroom was not a lavish palace of solitude, copious in arrays of tech gadgetry to enrapture the erratic, agitated squirrel that was my brain for hours on end. So, two parts proper parental discipline, with three parts of absolute boredom led me to try drawing the turtle and pirate heads for that generic art test in the back of whatever heavy metal magazine I was sick of looking at for the hundredth time. Not only did they turn out fairly decent, but I had a blast when I was doing it, and didn't want to stop until I thought they looked right. I had to do more of this!! This new obsession reached a fever pitch pretty quickly. No longer would I be completely awash in trepidation, anticipating the impending sanctions awaiting the post-unveiling of my next expose' of scholarly discontent!! Being grounded for weeks at a time still sucked, but I could kinda sorta, almost draw now, so I had that going for me. Armed with a philosophy this sound? Huh! How could I not achieve greatness?
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Artsy kids generally ranked pretty poorly throughout most teenage social hierarchies of my youth. By the time I reached high school, it seemed everyone I identified with and befriended sketched and painted, sculpted, wrote poetry, or played music. Social status be damned! These were very bright kids with loads of talent and imagination, and riding the fringe with them was all too comfortable for me. With this, of course came experimenting with any medium I could get my hands on. I'd spend the remainder of my teen years taking inspiration from all of them in some shape or form. Music being the thing I wanted to try most, but I'd just sit on the sidelines watching those friends and telling myself maybe the day would come. "Stop bein a bitch-ass, and just play already!" The daily mantra of the same inner voice that had me pick up a pencil that fateful day in my room several years earlier. Actually, one of my best friends would utter that exact statement to me daily now that I think of it.. Hmm... Ponderous.. Anyway, I hadn't yet applied the acknowledgement of this being the same voice that convinced me school was merely a recreational infringement. That came much later on. By 20 years old I relented to it and started playing. Steadily, the pencils saw less attention, and the music saw more. Eventually, the artwork became all but forgotten. I found myself telling people that I used to draw and paint, but I just don't anymore. I'll never say that I regret how that choice turned out however, because my musical experience was amazing for years, and I still get overwhelmed with excitement every time a new riff pours from my brain to my fingertips. Yeah, yeah.. I know.. My affinity for long-winded, self-indulgent anecdotes is already choking the life out of this synopsis. Believe me, you haven't even begun to roll your eyes yet.. Fast forward a bit? Sure thing!!
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The voice that lights the fires of achievement must be ardent and wrought with purpose... Yep.. See what I mean? Self-indulgent. The spazzy little shithead, homework hater being not only the essence of that voice, but also the torch bearer lighting the fires of every wildly fun, creative and exciting thing I'd done for most of my life. This mentality didn't evolve as soon as it probably should have. Figuratively speaking, I had a 12 year old maniac tending these fires, so they tended result in disastrous conclusions. My original music era probably being the most noteworthy example of this. In that resulting heap of ashes smoldered 16 years of impassioned work and several friendships likely beyond repair. The magnitude of that weighed on me heavily for years after. By no means have I ever considered myself a premier artist or musician. Becoming someone that USED to be a decent artist and WAS a decent musician too? NFW.... As you've likely gathered thus far; a refractory ego overrun with reckless abandon shaped my M.O. for nearly the first four decades of my life. Though this introduction may read like a summarized self-indictment, that is not at all the case. My accomplishments are as numerous as the miles of mistakes I made while chasing them; Making me as familiar with pride as I am regret. The references of my metaphoric bridge arson and repeated detours down the streets of self-sabotage are critically defining of the journey itself however, so they needed to be shared. Through every step I have always been blessed with a loving family and a number of true, compassionate friends. All whom have continued to believe in me over the years.
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This brings us to the seemingly fortuitous developments of the last several years, and their convergence spawning the start of this site. The closest friends I had made during the height of my artistic teen years being the most relevant to this story, both then and now. Circumstances of everyday life caused us to lose touch with each other for too long. Several years ago, after some focused online searching, I finally found one of them. This connected me to two more, and a few years later another. These friends were hugely influential on me in many ways. Artistically and musically speaking, their contributions were enormous. Reconnecting, of course, always kicks off nostalgic stories of the insane, hilarious things we used to do, then spilling into conversations of art and music. The latter I still did fairly regularly, and would share examples of what I'd done in the years between. It was these friends that really engaged me as to there being no reason why I shouldn't do the other again too. Just as my transition into music was slow, so was my return to visual arts, but the seed was being planted. One friend came to stay with me for a while. He was always an amazing artist which led him into tattooing. He'd bend my ear every day about drawing again, but I stuck with music as my fix. Of the variations of artistic bases we all have, playing music is our common denominator.
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It was the few days spent with the friend I had last reconnected with that slightly cracked the door again. Probably 16 years had passed since we had last spoken. The longest stretch of time within the group. She's lived in Seattle forever but as serendipity would have it, I was working in S.F., with weeks of work ahead of me the day the phone rang. She had stayed in S.F. for a few months while taking some jewelers courses just a couple of years earlier. Having some free time, she came down after a few days and showed me some great spots. S.F. is a beautiful city. Topographically extreme, with an eclectic blend of architecture and multiculturalism. I hadn't been there in over 20 yrs, so having a good friend I hadn't seen in ages that shared my sentiment concerning common tourist destinations, made the most of what little time I had for exploring. Undoubtedly, the pinnacle of our stops being Sutro Baths and the rest of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area along the cities northwestern shoreline. The pure spectacle of the landscape and the remaining runes of this once sprawling complex had me methodically documenting the scenery. Photography being the one pursuit I had lacked over the years. I'd say the cost of equipment, etc, being a huge factor, but well, ya know, smartphones.. We were looking at the pics later and she said, "Ya know, some people go to school and study how to get the level of composition you have in these." An endorsement from any of the friends I speak of here is of great value to me, so I really looked them over. I began investigating what I could do with them using the stock editor in my phone and really had fun with it.
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A couple years pass as my conversations with all of them continue to flow. I had only played around with editing new pictures periodically since S.F. , but inspiration comes to me in unpredictable forms apparently. Jan 2019 saw my job dispatching me to an abandoned,100 yr old Vaudeville playhouse, to be reconfigured for the 4th or 5th time since it was first built. The building is not only beautiful, but also an amazing example of ambitious, early 20th century architecture and engineering. As the demolition portion concludes, and much of the original structure is uncovered, I find myself surrounded by awesome subjects to capture and play around with. My brain is back to functioning like it did in S.F. a few years earlier, but I'm in this place every day for weeks, so the frequency is wide open, and I'm actively snapping pics and playing with them after work. This was stirring up something in my brain as randomly, while standing over the blueprint table one day during lunch gazing down; Huh, check that out... I notice the outline of a face in the wood grain of the plywood tabletop. I then grab a nearby pencil and start sketching in what I see, taking a before and after picture. When I return to the hotel later, I play with them in the editor. The results are intriguing . My lunch breaks become opportunities to collect scraps of plywood from around the job site over the next few days while scanning them for new prospects. The effort proves worthwhile, as I produce five more pieces. Now I have a themed collection and an idea for exhibiting the filtered images. My friends really dig the whole concept. My biggest obstacle being my utter lack of tech savvy to complete my idea. Nonetheless, that perspective has been reawakened in me like it never slept at all. This was Awesome!! I was happily inspired again!! Then the circle becomes complete several months later as love inadvertently walks into my life. She's smart, funny, beautiful. She greatly appreciates my interest in the arts, and she has a 12 yr old daughter that's the sweetest kid, that can draw exceptionally well!! I should probably start sketching again too, right? Now I have a muse, and possibly a gifted student to share this with..
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Cue the Covid lock downs. Yeah, you were there too... Six weeks of me only going out for 15 to 20 minutes a day. After a few days of this, I slip out and buy a sketch pad and some good pencils. I start with a few comic-like figure drawings to gauge how rusty I really am. Things are looking pretty good and I have some sketches to do for a few people I adore. I then do what is possibly the most focused sketching of my entire life. The triumphant return of Mike the artist is complete!! I suppose my next realization was destined to be put together.. Hmm.. How bout that? Nearly 35 years later, there I was again in solitary, with a few pencils and some paper. Circumstances and overall mindset much different this time around, of course. I'm well evolved, ambitious. Now too old for excuses, but hopefully still young enough to enjoy all of this for many years ahead. Since then, I've grown ever so slightly (I mean barely..) with my tech savvy, and learned the ins and the outs of bringing my ideas to life. My friends, contributing material and ideas constantly, with yet another friend from years past now in the fold, to top it off. One of those ideas was to start this website so there was a place that I could freely show the fruits of my labors, without being overseen or restricted by a social media format. Without them, especially very recently, this may have never happened. I'll be introducing these artists here and featuring any contributions, both individual, and collaborative that they approve, with my work as well. This is not an expose' of cutting-edge graphic arts, by leaders of the industry. This site is born of fated encounters that reconvened over years of individual journeys. The subjects are based in, or are entirely original works from each contributing artist. Though the imagery may not always reflect it, this is ultimately a simple expression of fun, joy and the freedom one feels when they embrace their passion.
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WELCOME TO INTEREYESOAR IMAGES.