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THE ONE WHO PAINTS ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH…
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He was born outside of Pittsburg, PA in 1977 and 77 became one of the favorite numbers in his future art career.
He lived near the airport and ended up picking up a job with airlines. The first day of a full time job with the airlines ended up being September 11, 2001. And after this day he went back to making art.
He tried to find a new career and stumbled on funeral directing. This is where he learned to craft his paintings and style.
He started to take influence from his printmaking days in 2000, as well as his appreciation of traditional (American & prison style) tatooing and used it to create new work with bold lines and dark imagery. Once he started to paint in that style, things realy started to click for him and he felt like he had finally found his voice in the art.
And it seems that the numbers in his life are not random. Because 13 is one of the most popular numbers in his art.
He is Mike Egan. And he is our special guest on this especial day – Friday, the 13th.
I was attracted to drawing and art at a very young age. I was extremely shy and I found that making pictures to communicate with other people was helpful. Plus it got me attention with the other kids so that was a plus as well. Elementary school is really where my early influences took place. First there was the skateboarding boom of the 80’s, so skateboard graphics and magazines like Thrasher were huge for me. I’d sit and redraw skate deck graphics all the time. My second big influence was music. Again, I’d look at the album art of the music I was listening to. Beastie Boys ‘License To Ill’ and Guns N Roses ‘Appetite For Destruction’ to name a couple. Things just kept developing from there.
When I first started college I had to pick a focus so I picked printmaking. My professors were amazing and turned me onto a lot of different artists. That’s where I was introduced to artists like Jose Guadelupe Posada and Kathe Kollwitz, both who used themes of death in their work. So I was doing prints of skeletons and devils really early on. I think the color choices cams from my love of folk art from all over the world and I simply combined the two.
I think when I was painting my skeletons in my art I liked using the number 7 as a good luck number. Eventually I used the sevens in both eyes making the 77. I feel like it’s another personal touch that allows me to incorporate myself into my work.
Well the ideas of death and dying come from me working as an embalmer in funeral homes before I was a painter, which is where you get the skeletons and coffins in my work. So I’d say that really my paintings are about my life experiences and what I am going through and how I’m feeling in my life.
I think that the tiny death series is my favorite to do every year. I really feel a connection to people as they are often telling me the stories that go along with the painting that they bought. It could a divorce, getting sober, a family member dying and so on.
It alsogives me the opportunity to donate a good portion to a local charity and help others that are going through a tough time.
Well I think over the years I’ve always taken on a lot of gallery shows, to the point where I’m burnt out on them a bit. So in 2023 I’m only taking on two solo shows for the whole year in Los Angeles and Charlottesville. The rest of the time I want to create my own projects and build my own company “77”. It’ll be everything Mike Egan, whether it’s clothing, wooden toys, prints, ceramics, etc. I like the idea of creating my own products and using my art to make them. It’s a totally different direction than I’m used to but I think it’s exciting.
I love folk art from all over the world. To name a few I love folk art from Russia, Poland, Mexico and Southern American. My time spent in funeral homes, cemeteries and churches were definitely a big influence on my work. I also enjoy spending time in antique stores looking at old toys and advertising.
Well I think you need to ask yourself what exactly do you want to do with your art. Are you fighting your way through the gallery world to be in blue chip galleries? If so, that’s going to be a way different path than someone who wants to design posters. I also think that investing in yourself is important. Taking small amounts of money and putting that back into your business is a great way to grow and that allows you to be more creative and do bigger and bigger projects.
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