As an artist, I create visual works, because if I kept my impressions bottled up inside, I would cease to feel the world around me. In essence, my ideas and my views would die in my head, my sense of expression would crumble, and my feelings would become numb. Being able to create helps me to emote. Through my work, I express an opinion and generate some type of sensation. What is important to me is that people find a connection that makes the piece their own, regardless of whether that connection is found through their love, dislike, or even hate for my creation.

I only begin a piece when I can conceptualize it. My ideas come from everywhere — something I read in the newspaper, a person I meet, an interaction at the coffee shop, or perhaps a problem that I’m struggling with. My ideas tend to revolve around an interaction or some type of contrast, whether it is the application or the theme.

Sketching, thinking, and writing my thoughts out helps me to nurture my ideas. By the time I actually put the concept together, I know exactly how I want the piece to look and what I want it to say. It is during this process that I choose the proper material, as every idea warrants an application tailored to its unique composition. For example, if I feel an idea would be best expressed in oils, then that is the application I would choose.

My work is an extension of my ideas and my views, which essentially makes it an extension of me. I hope my work sparks discussion among the people who view it, in spite of their like or dislike. As long as my work ignites conversation, it has created the desired effect. If my work were to receive no reaction whatsoever, I would consider it a failure.

Mike Jewell, Jr.