Joe got me thinking about finding art with meaning behind it to write about, and coincidentally I stumbled upon Mike Mitchell’s website, which I have previously been to and really liked, but somehow forgot about.
What I really like about Mitchell’s work is that he has a lot of different pieces; some are personal, and some, like the iconic “I’m With Coco” poster, have strong opinions behind them. Most of Mitchell’s personal pieces are a bit cartoony and funny, and he uses these elements in his more opinionated pieces. For example, as an outcry against BP’s major oil spill, Mitchell did a piece parodying Spongebob Squarepants. Mitchell did another piece against BP with more serious imagery.
Like I mentioned above, Mitchell tends to use more “cutesy” styles in a lot of his work, but when the “cutesy” styles are mixed with a more serious and negative topic, it makes them all the more menacing, like this piece he did of Mickey Mouse:
Obviously with the money signs in his eyes, and Disney's prominence in the United States (and the world), Mitchell is making a statement against the company. The caption reveals what “Mickey” is thinking, and while it might seem blasé and whimsical, it has a far deeper meaning behind it.
You can find Mike Mitchell’s art here.
I JUST posted the image of Spongebob and saw that you put it up as well. Mike's work is truly amazing and very edgy. He's def not afraid of sharing his thoughts on certain topics.
ReplyDeleteHe is very politically based. Goofy and dark forms. Pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteHe Ripps on everything and its awesome!!! i remember looking at his work when the "Im with CoCo" craze started!! hes awesome i like his work alot he mixes good design work with good illustration work.
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