“I didn’t feel that I wanted to pursue freelance or be a struggling artist in the field. I wanted to have the freedom to be able to do my own art,” Michaels said.
In preparation for retirement, Michaels has focused more on his artwork as he prepares to become a full-time artist.
In the last five years or so, I’ve taken my art to a new level and put a lot of effort into putting my art together,” Michaels said.
According to Michaels, he has followed the stencil art of Jonathan Conner, also known as Lank, for a long time. Conner will exhibit at Common Threads this year, and Michaels said he is honored to now have his work showcased with an artist he admires. Michaels said that Conner is a co-founded of the SAGE coalition, which brings together art & community to work on beautifying urban spaces in Trenton.
Michaels said that he is excited about the many good artists in the show. According to the Common Threads website, artists featured this year are photographer Asia Popinska, artist and designer Jonathan Conner, photographer and multimedia artists, Lauren Otis, painter Kata Mejia, perception artist Andrew Wilkinson, and glitch artist Phillip McConnell.
During his career, Michaels hand-tinted black and white beach scenes from the Jersey shore that appeared in The Marshall’s Hand Coloring Guide and Gallery Book. According to his biography, he self-published two books with co-author Marsha Cudworth in the 1980s, a respective travel guide, and an architecture book about Cape May.
Michaels has expressed his artistic creativity through various mediums throughout the years including photography, stencil, traditional painting and sketches, and collages. Currently, Michaels produces hand-cut stencils spray-painted on fiberboard or wood panels.
“I get enthusiastic about different mediums at different times, depending on what is going on in my life,” he said. “I’ve found something that I really enjoy, so I’ll be sticking with what I’ve been doing for the past couple of years. ”
Michaels said that the focus of many of his art pieces is classic rock icons, and he plans to continue working on this theme for now, too. Michaels said that while he enjoys classic rock, that he has an eclectic taste in music, and listens to many other genres as well.
“I lived through that era of music, and I’m immortalizing it in my own artistic way and putting it out there,” Michaels said. His vibrant works depict musical artists including John Lennon, Tina Turner, Bob Marley, Janice Joplin, David Bowie, and Prince. Also showcased are a variety of other works including a portrait of the mythical Krampus, Americana, animals, landscapes with superimposed images, and still life.
