Inside the Artist’s Studio: Our Visit to CoCo Artist Michael M.’s Workshop

CoCo Artist Michael M’s studio is almost a visual rush of personal experiences.  Everywhere you look is an example of collaborative commissions – with his team, Michael takes anything and everything and transforms it into fine art through a wax overlay.  Whether it be old clothes, ticket stubs, programs – literally anything – it becomes part and parcel of a mixed media artwork, such as a portrait of a child, a depiction of a pet, or a meaningful landscape.   Read on to learn more about the backdrop of this very personal and unique style of art.

View fullsize

Brooklyn, by Michael M.

CoCo: How would you describe your work?

Michael: I would classify my work as contemporary, at times bordering on pop-art.  More than anything the work is 100% process based.  As an artist I am extremely calculated and have every step of the process mapped out prior to production.  With great attention to detail I feel you provide the collector with a very finished product as well as a beautiful piece of fine art. 

View fullsize

Michael, as an artist, focuses solely on commissions now.

CoCo: You used to be in finance. Tell us how your life is different now.

Michael: Finance was always something that served as a means to an end but was never emotionally rewarding.  As so many people know, it is so easy to get caught up in the "Rat Race" and sometimes place what is truly important in life on the backburner.  By refocusing life on my two passions, art and family, I can honestly say that I feel an emotional success that I don't feel was possible in my past life.  

CoCo: Tell us about your space.  What about it works well with what you do?  

Michael: When my daughter Charlie was three years old, I asked her what I should name my studio and she very innocently said, "My Life."  This is a space that was created to do art...YES, but to do art and have the ability to be with my children.  It's through interactions with my children that my personal style and approach have evolved into something much deeper.  My Life studio does commissions now, focusing on creating a depth of emotion and memory to a fine art piece. It is extremely important that everyone that walks into this space, feels the connectivity as well as the innocence that this studio was so thoughtfully named.

View fullsize

Michael M.'s daughter, Charlie, aptly named his studio "My Life" and he has modeled the space as an area to both create art and interact with his children.

View fullsize

After a career in finance, Michael M. refocused his life on his two passions: art and family. 

CoCo: Do you have any personal “rituals” that help you with your work?

Michael: I wouldn't say that I have a particular ritual but I do try to draw inspiration from the materials at hand.  I will always have a few pieces going at any one time ranging from personal pieces for an exhibit or commissions.  After dinner and getting our girls to bed, I return to the studio at night in order to complete any unfinished tasks from that day.  It is often at that hour that I will take a step back and see what works-in-progress are screaming my name.  It's not the best thing for a good night sleep but I find myself focusing on that unfinished piece and come up with some really great solutions to be excited about first thing in the morning.

CoCo: What is the best part of what you do or the best part of your day?

Michael: I constantly find myself comparing my life now to what I was doing in the world of finance.  Before, my focus was on my clients and building a business.  I felt my priorities were completely upside down.  I now get to wake up to my amazing little girls, (sometimes) take our time getting to school and focus on our own little world.  After saying goodbye to my family, I get to head down to my art studio.  I could tell you that it's the ability to create what I love most about the studio, but its not.  My favorite part of the day, is when I open the door and turn on the lights.  My Life, is a great Life!

Feeling inspired? See more work by Michael M. below.

Her Constant

Equine

Coco

Brushstrokes: Interview with CoCo Artist Chamisa K.

As part of our ongoing Brushstrokes series, we interviewed CoCo Artist Chamisa K. Primarily an illustrator, Chamisa's magical drawings and imaginative scenes have especially peaked the interest of our clients with young children. We love the idea of a series of Chamisa's custom illustrations in a nursery or kids room.

The Light in the Tree 1; 8"x10", ink and watercolor

CoCo: How would you describe your artwork?
Chamisa: My work is magical realism. It belongs in a world that looks like ours, but where the rules are tipped on their head. I draw everyday scenes overlaid with imagination.

CoCo: Tell us about your training as an artist.
Chamisa: I began drawing very young, around age three. Both of my parents are artistic, and work as architects and urban designers. There was never a shortage of drawing and painting supplies in our house. Ball-point pens were my go-to tool. The way the ink flowed out around the tiny ball at the point, the satisfaction of seeing it sink into the paper; I spent hours drawing with them. I consider this foundation of drawing as a kid to be extremely important to my training as an artist. If it really does take 10,000 hours to master a skill, then I’m lucky I got a lot of my drawing time in at a young age.

From first grade through high school I attended Waldorf school, a private school system that puts a lot of emphasis on art and working with your hands. This, of course, was an absolutely perfect environment for me. It felt so natural to have drawing and painting so seamlessly integrated into my every day school life. In first grade I was introduced to watercolor, and since then have been combining watercolor and pen and ink in my work.

After high school, I applied to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Nothing could have really prepared me for the work load at RISD, but all the drawing and painting at a young age certainly helped! I studied Illustration, and while I can’t say I loved every minute of it, I certainly made a lot of personal creative discoveries. I met so many incredible artists, got my ego knocked down a peg or two (or ten), and after trying a ton of other materials, reaffirmed my love for ink and watercolor. They are the tools I use most in my current work.

Childhood Drawing 2

The Light in the Tree 2

CoCo: Who is your art for? What type of person are you speaking to?
Chamisa: Anyone who loves it and connects with it! I aspire to illustrate and write children’s books, so I always find it fascinating when children look at my work. There is a childlike place in each of us, something authentic and honest. This is the place I hope to speak to with my work.

CoCo: Can you lead us through an important aspect of a special technique you use?
Chamisa: Lately I’ve been creating three-dimensional works which I call “Light and Shadow Boxes”. I use cut outs of ink and watercolor illustrations and layer them to create depth. The light portion comes from small colorful LEDs, which I set behind the layers of paper so they shine through and create shadow and glow. Working with light has been a great learning process for me. Since the LEDs are battery powered, it requires some calculation and mathematical precision. Thinking about color, in the context of a piece that has it’s own light built in, is also a challenge. A piece can change drastically depending on how it’s displayed and whether or not the lights are turned on. As an artist it’s important to have something that drives you to create a lot of work, something that pushes you through the layers of learning. For me, working with added light is that thing that has ensnared my curiosity. I can’t get enough of it!

In the Belly of the Wolf

CoCo: Do you have any rituals or routines you must perform before you start or continue on a piece?
Chamisa: When I have a day where I get to focus solely on making art, I make sure to schedule in breaks. I dabble in string instruments, and a short session of strumming the guitar or picking at the banjo really clears my head, while keeping me in a creative mental space. It’s not a total departure since I still get to use my hands to make something, but it lets my mind shift so that when I come back to the drawing board I see it with fresh eyes.

CoCo: What is your favorite piece and why?
Chamisa: My favorite piece is one I did while still in school. I call it The Wanderer. It isn’t my best technical work or even my best idea, but it is significant to me because it represents a breakthrough in my work and my mindset towards being an illustrator. The Wanderer was made for an assignment in a children’s book class. I had been trying and failing to mimic work that I liked, illustrators who had succeeded in a certain style. Naturally, I was failing left and right, because I wasn’t following my own intuition; I was forcing it. But this was one of the last projects for the semester, and I think I was so tired that I just couldn’t force it anymore. I returned to that feeling I had as a child, of drawing for the pure joy of it, and not for the purpose of copying something or someone else. Teachers always said, you can’t force style, and I never “got it” until that point. I stayed up all night working on The Wanderer, which wasn’t unusual. The unusual part was that I wasn’t brain dead the next day. I was liberated from this self-imposed weight, and making that piece only made me want to create more.

The Wanderer

CoCo: Tell us about your favorite commission.
Chamisa: Recently a friend commissioned me to design and woodburn an image on a hand-made wooden surfboard. I don’t have woodburning examples in my portfolio, but he wanted an image in my drawing style (he knows my love of line), so he approached me about learning this new skill. The limited times I’ve worked with a wood burner have been great experiences, so I readily agreed. 

There are three reasons why this has been a great commission project: one, it allows me to learn a new skill, without taking me away from the style I like to work in. Two, the idea and design have been a pleasantly collaborative effort, and the client has allowed me full reign on the technique and fabrication. Lastly, it has opened up the possibilities for future projects like this one, and bolstered my confidence in expanding my repertoire of materials.

(All photos by Phil McElroy)

If you are interested in learning more about Chamisa's work, contact info@cocogallery.net