href="http://www.vinnieray.com">Vinnie Interviews href="http://www.mdefeo.com">Michael:

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Vinnie: Your work runs a wide range of styles.  You
have the Flower icon that is very well known, but recently you have taken the
flower and abstracted it into drips and then even further into pure abstract
patterns.  On top of that you have introduced some other animals and simple
objects to your world. Do you have an underlying message or vibe you are looking
to spread around?

Michael: As with everything I do
for the street, there is the simple notion of sharing in the wonder and
excitement that is life. The joy I get out of working and playing is something I
want to bring to others. I’m interested in widening the visual vocabulary. 
Hopefully, I’m providing people with questions, insights and maybe a smile or
two. My newborn daughter, as well as my own childhood, are also major influences
on my work.

/>Vinnie: I love the fact that you paint on the surfaces of
architecture drawings. And some of your gallery work uses maps.  You are marking
the surface of drawings of buildings and places then pasting those drawings to
actual buildings and places, once again making a mark.  It is a really tight
loop. Could you describe this kind of powers of ten approach….

/>Michael: I am fascinated by the eternal and preexistent
patterns of the universe. Every pattern or design has the same principles of
origin (whether it’s a floor plan or the cracks in a dried leaf). Working
abstractly on blueprints and maps is a way to connect to and defy those
patterns. This process is both an act of creation and destruction… I’m building
as well as taking it apart. The relationship extends to the work’s installation
in the street… ultimately the paintings will be destroyed… it’s very exciting
stuff.

Vinnie:  Could you explain this idea that
every pattern has the same origin. Do you mean there is a Universal design?
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Michael: I’m not so sure that every pattern has the
same origin, however, I do think there’s an underlying connection between
patterns. I’m a bit reluctant to have these concepts in my head while I work
because I feel it might disrupt the balance of planning and spontaneity. 
Lately, I’ve been doing some research on this subject and not surprisingly,
there’s a whole lot of info out there. I just got a wonderful book entitled, “Li
- Dynamic Form in Nature” by David Wade. Mr. Wade investigates and categorizes
surface patterns created by nature and bases his reflections on the ancient
Chinese study called “Li”. What’s really interesting, is that Li is the sister
science to Feng Shui, the ancient art of the arrangement of space for better
living and energy.  Creating for a universal audience is certainly a facet of
street art that I’m aware of. Work in the street has the potential of being
viewed by every conceivable type of person in the world… it should be
universal.

Vinnie: I know you are working
on a book that captures the childhood energy you speak of, do you want to tell
us about it or is it top secret at the moment?

/>Michael: Only a few people know the details about the book
project for now. What I will say, however, is that I’ve been working on it for
almost a year and I’m really excited about it. I have a publisher and they plan
on carrying it in their Fall catalog. I’ll be ready for an official announcement
with all the details sometime this summer.

Vinnie:
What is your dream project, what do you see on the horizon for yourself
when you have put everything together in your mind… what does that look
like?

Michael: I don’t have one dream project; it’s
more like a series of projects. The ideal for me is to have more time for my
work. I wish I didn’t have to sleep.

Michael Inteviews
Vinnie:

/>Michael: I love your celebration series that focuses on
“Searching, Thinking, Expanding, Loving, and Being”. I especially like the flag
versions… what led to your word selections and how did you decide to use the
medium of flags?

Vinnie: The words I chose were
selected as a sort of path to the soul.  I feel we are all searching for meaning
in life and that searching, that train of thought leads down a path to the
self…to being. Kind of an eastern meditation path.  I had some characters I drew
and paired them with these words.  I am interested in prompting thought
considering these words and this led me to the flags on the street.  I wanted to
celebrate these ideas and flags seemed to make sense.  The flags are kind of a
play on the flags that are flown outside houses in rural and suburban areas. 
They have flags for all occasions and folks put them outside their house to show
spirit. I like flags cause they blow in the wind.

/>Michael: You’ve stated that your Listening Series is “an
exploration of the idea that the universe is sound.”.  How did you get
interested in this and related ideas? Also, how does your work relate to you
performing musically in a band?

Vinnie: I think any
one who is at a concert and feels that power has a hunch that there is something
bigger coming out of the speakers than just notes… I can’t really trace back my
interest in sound and it relations to the physical make up of the world.  I’m
sure it’s been a hodgepodge of science and “spiritual” readings, but the more I
research the topic the more I’m convinced that vibrations are the core fabric of
reality.  This theme has given me a lot to explore visually.  I love to
visualize sound.  It’s like animating the music in your mind or making a walk
down the street a music video. Certain things just look like sound. Being in a
band is way to connect to this idea in a hands-on manner.  Practicing and
playing live create a whole set of experiences that go beyond making visual art. 
There’s nothing like feedback from the amp.

Michael:
What is your process for working… do you make any preparatory
drawings?

Vinnie: I make a lot of doodles.  I do a
lot of thinking and reading and note taking.  Most everything starts as a
drawing that is then scanned into the computer and converted to vector graphics. 
At that time I use illustrator to create backgrounds for characters or Dub out
my Listening series pieces…sometimes I stay in the computer world too long and
start to doubt or forget how good drawing is…

Michael:
You employ the use of a puzzle piece to hint at the smaller pieces of
the “big picture”. Any plans to utilize this image or its meaning in your next
series of work? What are you working on now?

Vinnie:
The puzzle piece is my logo of sorts, my stamp for my drawings and
prints.  I like it cause it goes back to the whole Searching part of life.  I
really am searching for meaning and looking at the puzzle of life.  I probably
won’t use it literally in work.  I am now working on a series of images that
incorporate a new Bat character.  I like the Bat cause they see with sound…..
/>
Michael: Is there any medium you haven’t worked with
before that you’d like to use? How about equipment or technology that you’d like
to play around with? 

Vinnie: I want to play around
with astral projection and lucid dreaming, that be fun.

/>Michael: Thank you so much for your thought provoking
questions as well as your insightful responses. I’m really glad we got the
opportunity to interview each other… thanks!

Vinnie:
Ditto