Joshua Liner Gallery

Biography

Shortly after being born in 1961 in Jacksonville, Florida, Mike Davis’ family moved to Miamisburg, Ohio; at the age of 11 they moved again to Cincinnati, Ohio, where his parents continue today to reside.

Having no formal education, Davis learned to paint by “scamming” his way into a job doing theatrical scenery; claiming he knew how to paint, when in all actuality had no idea. However, the “scam” was a success and soon Davis was going out on his own to work on various projects involving stage scenery, props, signage, model making, character costumes, etc. Eventually, he realized something was not right and had to make a change in his profession.

It was in 1988 that Davis made the leap from theater related jobs to tattooing. 1992 marked the opening of Everlasting Tattoo located in San Francisco, California. Tattooing has greatly led Davis to where he is today as an artist. Tattooing served to improve his drawing skills, and lead him to consider, for the first time, that creating art could be a way to make a living. Yet, Davis’ tattoo work is very different from his paintings, deriving from different influences and subject matters.

Artist Statement

Since as long as I can remember I have possessed artistic skills of some form or another. As a kid in school I was often referred to as the “artist,” drawing monsters, robots blowing thing up, and other weird images.

It wasn’t until around 1999 when I began seriously painting. Over time my work has evolved in terms of my technique, mostly from studying other artist’s pieces. I have been greatly influenced by older art in general, and more specifically that of Van Eyck and Bruegel.

My paintings are often a reflection of my experiences in life. Additionally my interest in history, evident from my collection of military helmet and artifacts from the Civil War and World War II, makes its way into my work, even if it is on a minor scale.

One of my greatest influences in my work and for myself is my mother. Her constant involvement in one project or another ranging from woodworking to hand-tooling leather masterpieces to making clothing and toys for myself and my siblings to remodeling our home, the list goes on, has motivated me to try new things and continue to create.

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