"Looks like the ole cowpoke has had himself a fine, fine life." "CP Houston" Clyde Peterson, Political Cartoonist, The Houston Chronicle
Mike,. . . you've become one of America's truly great humorists, ranking with the likes of Charles Schulz, Norman Rockwell and Dr. Suess." Ed Trumble, CEO Leanin' Tree Publishing
About Mike
Cowboy at heart. Storyteller by nature. Artist all my life.
I’ve been making a living with a paintbrush, pencil or a hunk of clay for about 50 years now—which is either a pretty good run or proof that I never came up with a better plan.
I come from a family of ranchers, with roots in Idaho and Wyoming, so the West has always been part of who I am. It gave me plenty to paint, but more importantly, it gave me plenty of characters to paint. Cowboys, ranchers, old codgers, horses with opinions, women who generally know better, and assorted critters who probably ought to know better.
Somewhere along the way, people started calling what I do “fine art cartooning.” I always liked that. Humor has been a big part of my career, but I’ve never thought funny art had to be throwaway art. I put the same care into telling a story with a crooked grin as I do into a serious painting or sculpture.
In 1977, Leanin’ Tree selected one painting of an old gray haired codger to go in their greeting card line, beginning a relationship that has lasted nearly half a century. Since then, hundreds of my paintings have found their way onto cards, calendars and gift products, and millions of them have traveled to homes around the world. One of the greatest compliments I receive today is hearing from someone trying to replace a poster their dad or granddad had hanging in the den, barn, office - or occasionally the outhouse - for the last 30 or 40 years. An artist can’t ask for much more than that.
But the humorous work has always been just one side of what I do.
Over the years, I’ve also been fortunate to receive national recognition for my paintings and sculpture. My work has appeared in publications including The Saturday Evening Post, American Cowboy, Southwest Art and Western Horseman, and has been exhibited in museums including the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame. My monumental sculpture can be found in public and private collections around the country, and my 20-foot mural, The Long Walk, is permanently installed at the Bosque Redondo Memorial in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
Those are accomplishments I’m proud of. But I think the thing I’ve enjoyed most about this career is simply telling stories.
Sometimes the story is told in bronze. Sometimes it’s a serious painting of a place or person worth remembering. And sometimes it’s a cowboy who has gotten himself into a situation he probably should have seen coming.
These days, Dusti and I are settled in East Texas, and I’m still painting, still sketching, still working on new ideas, and occasionally rediscovering something I painted 30 or 40 years ago that makes me wonder what in the world I was thinking.
After all these years, I’m especially grateful that people are still laughing at the old ones, discovering pieces they’ve never seen before, and asking what I’m going to paint next.
I’m wondering that myself. But I’m not finished yet.