Artists of La Crosse: Mike Mitchell, Space_Whiskey
The purpose of this project is to bring awareness to the art community, what artists stand for, their purpose, their mediums, about the artist themselves and most importantly to connect everyone to one another.
For my project, I will be creating a piece dedicated to the artist and their art. It is a piece that integrates the two together; The process of this involves me taking a portrait of the artist and then creating a double exposure of the artist with their art
In conclusion ~ Make art of the artist and their art
It's like art to the third power or art inception!
This is a fun and interactive way for other artists to meet one another or learn about eachother. I will be sharing a new artist weekly so please make sure to check back in to see the new featured artist.
as always~ Enjoy!
This Week's Feature
Artist name: Mike Mitchell aka Space_Whiskey
Medium(s): Pencil, Sharpie, Marker, Paint, Napkins, Digital
Instagram: @Space_Whiskey
When did you notice that you had a love for art?
When I realized I could draw my own characters to interact with ninja turtles as a kid.
Are you originally from La Crosse? If not, where are you from and how long have you lived here?
I am indeed from the La Crosse, and have lived here my entire adult life. Most of those years were spent at various shacks around downtown La Crosse. I highly recommend a mid range shitty apartment to spend a few years in downtown.
Growing up what were your major influences as an artist? Other artists, Life events?
Brom during the high school years. I was never a comic book guy as a teenager but got into them in my 20’s. Darick Robertson of Transmetropolitan fame had a big influence on me getting back into making art. Classically J.C Leyendecker and Rockwell.
Spent a lot of time in a cabin in the woods listening to punk rock and reading sci-fi and fantasy novels, as the worlds they created were much larger than my own. Rancid, Social D, Beastie Boys were often on repeat somewhere near me.
Books, lots and lots of books. I always tried to read anything I could get my hands on.
What message do you want to share about your art?
I enjoy creating something and giving it away. I tend to do small quick art projects for friends or strangers at a bar. I like the idea of crafting something and then moving onto another picture or project. If my shit ends up on a persons car floor, or refrigerator or framed on a wall for years it’s all the same to me. I just like putting out as much nonsense as possible and hope it brings a small amount of joy to someone somewhere.
What do you stand for as an artist?
I just want to encourage people to make SOMETHING, ANYTHING, in their life on a semi regular basis. Write your shitty Harry Potter fanfic where everything is vampire themed and Neville fucking loves cocaine. Make a truly terrible old-fashioned at home. Draw malformed versions of hands every couple of days. Eventually you might find something you love and the more you do it the better it will get, promise.
What is your process or headspace you get into while creating new pieces?
Don’t overthink it. I find myself always practicing or creating something and from that I’ll eventually get something I think is good. The more I create the easier it is to manifest images from my head into the real world.
What does the piece you chose for this project mean to you? Why did you choose this one vs other pieces you have created?
This was an excellent excuse to create something new for someone. I like supporting people doing their own thing and while I don’t do a lot of collaborations cause I'm a high functioning alcoholic recluse this seemed like a good time. Cheers!
