About

Early Life

Hello,  I’m Mike—a visual artist and tattooer based in Denver, Colorado.

I’ve spent much of my life in the high desert plains and Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I’ve been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. I first learned to oil paint from a family friend as a kid, and later, graffiti took hold of my teenage years and became a deep obsession.

Art & Travel

At 18, I moved to Maui with close friends and spent my early twenties working construction, partying, drawing, and figuring out how I wanted to live. That move sparked years of travel and creative exploration. I backpacked through Europe, North and Central America, and my favorite part of the world, South and Southeast Asia.

These experiences shaped my worldview and confirmed that I would commit to an artistic path, despite all the uncertainty about where that would lead me. 

Tattooing

Eventually, I returned to studio and mural painting while earning my BFA. After a decade of painting I decided I needed to expand. Around that time, I started spending time at a friend’s tattoo shop—not totally sure if it would resonate with me as an artist. It certainly did.

Tattooing turned out to be one of the most humbling and demanding creative practices I’ve taken on. Over ten years later, it still challenges and inspires me.

Today, I continue to draw, paint, and build a growing body of work—while tattooing remains at the center of my practice.

Now

Outside of making art, I spend time meditating, moving, letting go, and being with my family, my friends, and my dog. 

✿ ❀ ❁