HEY APATHY! COMIC BOOK DRAWINGS & GRAFFITI STREET ART

 Drawings Gothic Monsters, Robots and Characters,Urban Artworks 2000-Present

 Street Art Graffiti Renegade mural styles in alleyway and construction walls 

Draw Graffiti Large outdoor & indoor walls , painted storefronts & ceiling murals

Artwork Drawings Exhibitions Index of Art Gallery Installations,  and Performances 2001-Present

Graffiti Street Art live painting performances and outdoor experiments 

CG Artwork Interactive Video Game art and Computer Generated canvas'

Read Comic Books Online Manga Monsters, Samurai, Superheroes and Graphic Novels

Fashion Drawing HEY APATHY! Designs, Illustrations, Videos and Magazine features

Mike Parsons Press Newspaper & Magazine reviews, photos and feature articles

WELCOME TO THE CITY OF GEARS! COMIC BOOK DRAWINGS

HEY APATHY! Artworks by Mike Parsons: Like many of us I grew up an avid scribbler and fan of mainstream comic book drawings, film, music and animation. As I approached adulthood however, I found myself increasingly infuriated by the repetitious scenarios and apathetic consumerist undertones of both popular and real time culture. At the age of 24, after being commissioned to illustrate a cartoon styled advertisement for alcohol, I had finally had enough and decided to lock myself inside a basement studio to meditate. I spent an entire year down there creating pen and ink drawings depicting the metropolis as an ominous gear propelled by an endless sea of faceless denizens. Following my retreat, and the subsequent exhibition of the works (2002),  I realized that my nihilistic landscapes, although somewhat accurately constructed, were too withdrawn and posed more questions than they offered answers, “Who are all these people?”, “What is the City?” and ultimately “Where do I fit in?”. 

In hopes of gaining a better understanding of the phenomena in question I chose to abandon the introspective nature of the artist’s studio in favor of an investigative approach. I proceeded to develop a particular process using public interventions, street performances and outdoor festivals transforming the city into a studio, stage and gallery. Through these immersive experimentations I was able to meet face to face with thousands of people from all over the world and of all walks of life. As a result both my artworks and self evolved immensely. Today I still draw the city as a giant gear, only now it is all the unique characters, not anonymous cogs, who fuel the machine.  

Since 2005 I have completed several major solo exhibitions and over 300 outdoor performances as well as prestigious projects for the A.G.O. (Art Gallery of Ontario),The Hudson's Bay Company and Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, the City of Toronto and the First Canada Place. In addition to annual drawing exhibitions, I also produce graphic novels, fashion designs, print editions, animated artworks and am currently in collaboration on an original video game featuring my drawings. The  goal of my project is to create comic book drawings and fine artworks that are simultaneously intellectually provocative as well as accessible to viewers of all ages. Welcome to the City of Gears!