the  Interactive Portrait & Character Sketches
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 MiketheSwan@yahoo.com

stolen portraits
character studies
the Carnegie Hall sessions
model sessions
other colored paper
from the photograph
Robin Mathews
C.R. Avery 
s.p.'s
split second faces
the 3 minute profile experiment
(25 in 3 days marathon)

In the works:
the Chapter in a Book Idea
A 4 panel, once a week portrait.
The book of 12 eyes
The Paper doll Portrait


These 2 I stole from people on buses. The likeness from quick pictures of people never seen before is uncanny.


Ralph knew I was going to draw his picture but didn't know when.  Same goes for Travis. I warned him, then caught him performing at Turks. 

Same with Monica Lee. She knew, but not when

Here are some friends that are just used to me drawing and don't pose or pay any mind. Some are casual but studious. poses. Most are definitely "character studies"
Me and Kagon just sat down for a few minutes at Wazubi's late one Sunday night. We talked about old movies so I call this peice "Marlon Brando as Kagon."

Kr. 
my lil' inspirator
C. w/ eyes like lakes



Abbey posed for maybe 20 minutes to half an hour.

Shannon was just plain in a bad mood and felt like a "specimen" she said.
 
 
 
 
 

I made a couple of good pictures baring no resemblence to Charlotte so she started the gesture for this one and I went on with details.

I talked my next door neighbour eventually into posing for a portrait. For the first one I developed a concept which I had to throw away as soon as we sat down. Its a drawing on mipolam for preparation as a linocut print. I asked him to be meditative so he did, for less than an hour. The second is one of 3 or 4 gestures in a novel, wherein I catch Robin's fiery, steel-eyed determination. The 3rd, a watercolor, was meant to be expressive but turned out contemplative. I did 2 more as he reads aloud.

 Graham found this site and offered to pose. He's a stand - up comic just down my street. I made 3 drawings while he sets up, sensing the still moments, then he posed for the last one. I had to go. I do alot of these drawings with a brush pen then paint them at home.

 
 

The first two of Tracy are pastel sketchbook drawings from life: 15 minute, 30 minute. The third is 17 hour drawing from photograph on Sommerset Satin. The last 2 are from a triptych on BFK Rives using photographs and an opaque projector.



These are 2 Sears photos stuck together. Yuck. Grooling. 
I did this from a photo hours before Celeste's birthday. After the first few lines I scapped the photo and went on memory.


for C.R. Avery's cd disclosure" and for the Seattle Poetry Festival   . They've also found there way around the continent wherever C.R. tours and open up a documentary about him. C.R. asked me to make a portrait of him and I agreed. I saw him playing for a small audience at Zesty's, borrowed some crayola felts and drew him while he performed.


 
 
 


Jakob leaned with his head against the wall. He hates this picture.

Asza sat for 20 minutes and lent me her pastels.
She slept through this one

Eddie lent me $5 so I promised him a portrait. he came over one day and I drew him when he wasn't looking. Pretty talented but I over painted some of his likenesses out.

This guy gave me $20 to draw him drunk. I recognized 3 poses he relaxed in during his drunken rant. 
 
 
 

This is a sample of a successful experiment in jotting down profiles of people as they walked by. There were lots of successful portraits in this series. More of the unfinished work can be found at this link



 
 

Last year Mike had solo shows at Don Giovanni's, Bukowski's (with Jordan Bent), Mecca, Lugz, and Turks and showed at the Roundhouse for the annual collaberative performance peice "Anu." He'll be showing over a dozen books at the Britannia Branch Library in July. He'll also be performing at the Railway Club in May.



7 printmaking methods 1997     the portrait ongoing the 3 minute portrait experiment (25 in a 3 day marathon)2003 the Carnegie Hall Sessions 2001   lil' nudes (paint on photograph of large life studies) 1997-2003 pen & ink drawings from t.v. 1994 "Rachmaninoff" & other Composers (very recent work in development) 2003 portrait of an artist as a young man (& other novels drawn by me) 2000-2002 paintings of C.R. Avery's "A Shotgun Wedding"  2002 "the quick brown fox"  is out for awhile moonmojo(5 songs) 2003 the diarial adventures of Mickey the Swan 2002 sha.la.la.la (the late 20th Century . Bop) 1988 a contribution to Jabbar Al Janabi's "Anu"2001 commercial work ongoing  studies of bus stops  1988  studies of taverns 1988
 

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