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944 MAGAZINE INTERVIEW

Visual Artist and Designer, Greg Mike, is on a mission.  He's reinvigorating thought and igniting passion.  He's decorating cans with clean lines and bright colors and turning the art world on its heels. Mike has brought his provocative show, Popstars and Cokeheads, to Atlanta and he's sure of one thing: he'd be a rodeo clown if it weren't for art.

944: What was your inspiration for Popstars and Cokeheads?

GM: It was really a project that started from the sketch pad and I let it organically grow.  I didn’t want any traditional guidelines or direction or have a final destination in mind when creating it.  The past few years I found myself getting in the overly repetitive with the seasonal pattern of design, mostly when it comes to the fashion side.  It’s a strict calendar you follow with benchmarks of conceptualizing, designing, sampling and producing collections that will eventually end up in stores and a season later being old news in this new fast-forwarded A.D.D-world we have created. 

944: Does your artwork reflect your personality?

GM: Of course, I feel things are way too serious and up tight at times. Art is a way to have some fun with things while I’m on this earth.  No particular piece is based of a exact feeling at a certain time.  It's more a mixture thoughts, feelings, issues and twisted humor released to make you think or feel something whether it’s good, bad or indifferent.

944: You have LOUDMOUTH sightings on your website, where would you like to see LOUDMOUTH labeled next?

GM: Fixed to something large somewhere in a foreign land, or partnered with a brand or object you’d never expect.

944: What are your favorite Atlanta hotspots?

GM: The design studio, a few hole in the walls spots on ponce for a brew and some grub and good old hartsfield-jackson international.

944: What music artists do you listen to when you are working?

GM: It all depends on the mood; recently it’s been Gucci Mane, Rage Against the Machine, Donnis, Pill, The Beatles, B.O.B. To name a few.

944: How did New York influence your art?

GM: I loved the history and how big people go in NYC in the street art scene.  I grew up when NY was still a fresh canvas and experimental turf.  Seeing folks like COST and REVS pushing the boundaries and going massive, changed the game and opened a lot of eyes.

944: If you weren’t an artist, what would you be doing?

GM: Definitely a rodeo clown or maybe a part time astronaut.

944: What makes your artwork different?

GM: As for this series, working with cans versus the traditional canvas seemed to set it apart and added a twist and challenge that was definitely exciting.  To me it’s all about applying art to new mediums and getting away from what’s been done for thousands of years.

FEATURED PIECE - BENNY BLU