His artwork is bright, big-eyed and draws from the good 'ole Saturday morning cartoon days. The narratives behind his artwork, however, are often a reflection of his current distinerest in putting down roots. He technically has no home and prefers it that way. Muralist and illustrator Michael Roy, aka Birdcap, gets honest about self-doubt as an artist in this compelling time lapse for his latest artwork, "Elevators". When Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast in '05, his family home took on eight feet of brackish water, and his faith in "home" as a permanent fixture was forever altered. He talks about it below the vid.
+ You're an awesome muralist. Why isn't the whole world booking you?
Hahaha. I don't know how true that is but I appreciate you for saying so. There's a lot of good painters out there right now. Maybe when you come from a smaller city not so many people see your work in person? I'm trying to work on that though. If anyone wants a wall painted, they should message me! I'm currently looking for walls this Spring.
+ Most personal piece of artwork and/or mural? What's the backstory?
I think a lot of them start in a pretty personal place, although that probably gets more out of focus on some than others. I just finished painting a reinterpretation of a Frida Kahlo painting. Ever since I became an artist it's been really tough to keep a healthy relationship going. Traveling makes it tough, but also I get sort of dug down into my work and forget to check in with the other person enough. I started doing reinterpretations of female painters work as a way to practice making myself think about others while I work. The work inevitably looks like my stuff though, so it might also show sort of my own limitations in that practice I guess.
+ Where were you and what'd you do when Hurricane Katrina hit?
I was a freshman in college. I think it was my first month in Memphis. My family were all on the gulf coast though. It was pretty stressful, you know. Phone lines were down and you couldn't get in touch with anyone for days, and the TV channels were showing you like the worst possible scenarios where dinosaurs were eating children and stuff. Our house and everything inside it got wrecked but my family eventually got to safety so it's all good.
+ How did living with your family in a FEMA trailer impact your creative process?
Well the house was gutted after Katrina. It hit us with like eight feet of water inside the home and it was all brackish so it ruined everything it touched. My pops tore the whole place down to the frame other than the roof. FEMA gave us a little trailer that was supposed to house the four of us. I slept in what was left of the house on some blankets though. I think the whole experience made me lose a lot of faith in the idea of rooting down and collecting a life. The concept of home got really redirected somewhere in that process too. For me home is just being able to get into a quiet spot mentally for a bit. I've been traveling for almost seven years now. I started getting more interested in mural work more after the storm too. Murals aren't as precious as paintings. They'll never last 100 years. And they'll never clutter up your house and make it hard to leave. You paint them and that's it. They can't be collected for a show so there's no point in having storage. They're sort of wonderful ways to work if you're into wandering around.
+ Most creative way you've ever made a dollar?
Haha I'm not really sure. I ran a scam about donating to traveling church missionaries when I was twelve. I raised close to a hundred bucks in an hour but then I got caught and had to give the money back. I'd already spent a lot of it on pizza.
+ Are you more in an advice giving mood or advice receiving mood lately?
Haha that's a good question. I think I'm all for receiving it right now.
+ Finish this sentence
- When I'm not painting, I'm talking to painters
- Secretly, my favorite song is... Breakfast Club by Z Trip
- The last beverage consumed was a sugar free Redbull
- If I was any character from the movies, I'm definitely Mark Corrigan from PeepShow
+ Other artists to follow?
Frenemy, Nosey42, Junk House, Eileen Townsend
Header Photo: Bill Simmers
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