Balance. It’s so easy to get knocked off, and difficult to regain footing. | art inspired by @mandyrobertsyoga #yoga #yogi #yogaart #yogaartist #balance
God of Thunder @chrishemsworth ⚡️Thor in technicolor . . . . . #thor #chrishemsworth #marvel #avengersinfinitywar #thorragnarok #art #painting #drawing #fanart #color #popart #mikebone #mikebrennanart
There’s only one Iron man- @robertdowneyjr 😎⭐️ . . . . #ironman #robertdowneyjr #tonystark #art #illustration #contemporaryart #painting #drawing #mikebone #mikebrennanart #marvel #artist #actor
The best dreams are dreams that benefit others. Never. Stop. Dreaming. And doing. #mlk #dream #loveoneanother #ihaveadream #art #martinlutherkingjr #weareone #artist #artistsoninstagram #mikebone
The Sower
Being an artist is a long haul journey. You have to keep showing up and doing the work, even when it seems like nothing is happening. I envisioned it much like this sower, casting seeds. It doesn’t look like much is happening at first but when things take root and start to grow, you will reap a harvest. This is my “note to self” to keep casting seeds. “The Sower” acrylic, metallic gold on 16 x 20 canvas.
#artist #art #painting #sower #work #fineart #originalart #inspirational #canvas #artgallery #gallery #mikebone #mikebrennanart #artwork #artistsoninstagram #artistlife #artlovers #artworld #njartist #njart #sow #reap #harvest
Inside Look: Uniform Pets - Firefighter Aussie Australian Shepherd
For this post I’m sharing about the inspiration behind the Firefighter Aussie Australian Shepherd.
I wasn’t one of those kids who said he wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up. I think I always knew on some level that I wanted to be an artist. But coming from a long line of family in public service (police mostly), I understood the importance and sacrifice associated with this position. Firefighters are called to be courageous, self sacrificing servants for the safety and good of the public. I will never know such a burden or call myself, but I readily acknowledge that they are to be thanked and praised for their selfless, and often dangerous work.
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Inside Look: Uniform Pets - Girl Scout - Chihuahua
For this post I’m sharing about the inspiration behind the Girl Scout - Chihuahua.
This one reaches back to some of my earliest memories. I have a sister who is 3 years older than me. All through elementary school, she was a part of the Brownies and Girl Scouts. My mother also helped in her troop, so I would be taken along.
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Inside Look: Uniform Pets - Police Officer - German Shepherd
For the next several posts, I’m going to be giving you an inside look into my new series “Uniform Pets”. I’ll be sharing the insights and inspiration behind each piece.
The series as a whole came about as I was thinking about how we identify and categorize, specifically, dress code pertaining to jobs/organizations, as well as breeds of pets. We know a police officer in a crowd of people because we’ve identified their uniform.
Read MoreWork in progress / Staten Island NYC
Artists in their natural habitat. Art inspired by @thanimara #art #artist #paintings #digitalart #visualart #drawing #sketch #figure #illustration
Yoga art inspired by @lale_871
Put your best foot forward. Want some custom yoga art? Message me & let's get to work! Yoga art inspired by @lale_871 @yogi_toes #yoga #art #digitalart #fitness #wellness #health #yogaart #custom
Revisited this old painting. 30x40 acrylic on canvas. #music #guitar #painting #originalart #fineart #artcollector #guitatist
#tbt live painting
#TBT to a live worship painting I did at @liquidchurch this past year. There's an energy and excitement that comes from the unpredictable nature of painting live that is unlike anything else. Hoping 2017 holds opportunity to do more live art. Photo cred: @jay.loden #painting #artist #painter #worship #livepainting #art #originalart #creative #fineart #church #event
Portrait of Emily
I had the privilege of creating this portrait of Emily as a Christmas present for Ryan's wife. Unfortunately, the surprise got leaked but she loved it!
Here's what Ryan had to say "I have been a fan of Mike's work for a long time and after our Christmas shoot with our daughter Emily I felt like I had the perfect picture to be made into a portrait in his amazing style. While I spilled the beans on the Christmas present early, my wife loves the portrait. Mike was able to capture both the physical details of Emily, but also her joyful disposition. We are thrilled to have this keepsake marking Emily's first birthday and second Christmas".
- Ryan
Painting from the Soul
If you've been following me for any length of time, you probably know that I do Pet Portraits, Pop Culture Art, maybe even Graphic Design, but you might not be aware of another aspect of my life that is very important to me: my faith. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to do a live painting during my church's Sunday services. I did 4 paintings actually. One practice and three more, one for each service.
There's something that makes me come alive when I can get lost in music (centered around God) and paint what flows out of me. It's a response. It's part of my faith.
You may or may not consider yourself a person of faith, but perhaps you have had the sensation of being so utterly passionate while doing something that you loose track of all time. It's a place where you're not critiquing or second guessing, But a place of creation, where you unleash something from deep inside. It's not about head choices, but heart ones.
As I write this I'm putting the finishing touches on a recreation of this painting "Worship (Sensate)". I recorded a bit of the process of my painting in time lapse and posted below.
If you have any questions about this painting, my process or supplies used, just leave a comment. Also I am accepting commission on a few more recreations of this painting, so if you would like one, email me and let's talk about how we can get one in your home or church today!
One of the original paintings I did live during the worship service. It's acrylic on wood.
On the Left is the original photo and the final digital pet portrait on the right.
When Scars Become Art
If you had told me when I was a kid that I would be capturing people's beloved family member pets using my art, I would have laughed. Or run the other way at least.
When I was around seven years old, a neighborhood friend encouraged me to pet a dog that was loose on our street. She was under the impression that this dog belonged to a fellow neighbor. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a stray, who when feeling threatened, chomped down his teeth on my little seven year old hand. I was terrified. I can still remember the sting of the bite. I had to get several stitches, that resulted in scars still visible today. So, needless to say, I became extremely afraid of dogs.
Thankfully, years later my family adopted a scrappy little Border Collie mixed breed, named Barney. He was insane. He loved to howl while I played guitar, jumped in the air constantly, and wedged himself between me and some girlfriends through the years. He had wiggled his way into my heart. My fears quickly faded away. In its place grew a love for "man’s best friend".
Today, I am the proud owner of two dogs, Biscuit (a Golden mix) and Cooper (a Chihuahua mix). They are forever by my side (Even as I write this).
If you’re anything like me, your camera roll on your phone is filled with photos of your pet. When they make “that” face. When they pose for you almost knowing you’ll be posting their photo to social media immediately. We try to capture their personality and essence. Because we love them, and want others to love them too. We want them to see what we see!
But we never print those photos do we? We post them to social media where they get buried in the stream of activity. We might have intentions to print our pets photo, but even i we do, the likelihood of us actually hanging that photo on display are pretty slim. Can you relate?
That’s why I love creating pet portraits. It’s making a decision to value your pet with art. Art that you proudly display in your home or office. Art that capture that certain something about your pet - that thing you love. That thing you always talk about with others.
I get it. I’m one of you- a pet lover. Whether it’s creating art for a current pet or one that has passed on, I love to partner with owners like you to create a special work of art that you can be proud to display and share with others.
So can I ask you a question? Have you considered having a pet portrait created? Do you know where you would proudly display it? Maybe today is the day to push past intentions (like printing those camera roll photos), and finally make the decision to have a one-of-a-kind pet portrait created.
If you’re interested, I’d love to talk to you about how I can help. I apply not only my many years as an artist, but also my love for animals, these pets that become family. It would be my privilege! Just fill out this form at the bottom of the page and let’s start our conversation today!
2 Things You can Do Today to Advance as an Artist
There are two things you can do right now, where ever & whoever you are, to put your creative skills to work and advance as an artist.
1. Create for YOU.
When was the last time you created something "just because"? Something that you just felt inspired to do that had nothing to do with work, or getting paid. Something born of passion. There might be a million reasons you can come up with why you shouldn't or can't. But tell them to stuff it, and get to creating. It just might be the best thing you've done in a long while. Even if no one else ever sees it.
2. Create for THEM.
You have this amazing ability. And you have it for a reason - to share it! Once you get past the objections of why you can't create for someone else (It's not good enough, i can't afford it, i need to get paid for it...) you can experience the joy of giving. You never know what impact sharing your art with others might have. And while I'm not saying to give away all your art and do it for free- I am saying that sometimes you do need to give it away. Because it's about more than money. It's about creating something uniquely, beautifully you and having your creation impact someone else's life for good.
What are you going to create today? Who needs to experience your art?
Time-lapse Drawing of Concert
Here's a quick pen, watercolor and pencil sketch of a concert photo. Enjoy!
30 Paintings in 30 Days Complete Project
Here's a look at the 30 days all together in one collage. Enjoy!
