Page 101 - The Westerner Magazine Halloween 2018
P. 101
Birds of Prey by Faith is important to the artist. He feels his
gift is from God and he wants to use what
Artist Mike he’s been given to the best of his ability.
Lofland With Bruce Bennett, editor of The Westerner©
Bruce: You mentioned that you were a
gymnast in school, and you are in the
healthcare profession today. How would
you describe your drawing?
Mike: I’ve always been fascinated with
birds of prey: hawks, falcons, eagles, owls.
I’ve been an athlete all of my life and to me
they’re the most athletic birds. I’m
fascinated with them.
My mother was an artist and I was a hyper
child. She would sit me down with the
children’s encyclopedia and I would draw
on a tablet starting with the As. This began
to instill the fun of drawing with me.
The artist describes himself as “a man of
However, I quit drawing when I was
extremes.” He’s been many different and
young. I got into gymnastics and did life in
varied things. Those include a professional
high school. Later in life I saw a wood
musician, international gymnast, cliff diver,
carving of an owl, and I was fascinated by
but art has always been in the background
it. I bought a bunch of wood and carved the
of his endeavors.
ugliest bird you’ve seen in your life. I
started carving birds and made a living
Mike has earned master’s degrees in
with that for several years.
Exercise Physiology and Theology. He’s
dedicated to his profession but would like
to also devote more time to his art. Whether
he is commercially successful or not, he
feels motivated to continue to produce the
exceptional drawings that have made him
widely known and respected as an artist.
