Mike Davis

1961 / Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Contemporary Surrealism Oil painting

About

Mike Davis is a self-taught modern surrealist painter and tattoo artist based in San Francisco, California. Born in 1961 in Jacksonville, Florida, he began his tattoo career in 1988 as an apprentice to Dana Brunson and opened his own studio, Everlasting Tattoo, in 1992. He started painting seriously in 1997, drawing inspiration from his mother's craftsmanship in woodworking and leatherwork, ancient art, French surrealism, Flemish masters like Hieronymus Bosch, Jan van Eyck, and Pieter Brueghel, as well as lowbrow artist Robert Williams. His intricate paintings feature whimsical compositions embedded with symbols of mortality, folly, hubris, and personal references from daily life, history, and his interests in military artifacts.

Modern surrealism with symbolist elements inspired by Flemish Renaissance masters and lowbrow art

Selected Exhibitions

  • Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (permanent collection)
  • HEY! modern art & pop culture – Part II (2013, Halle Saint Pierre Museum, Paris)
  • Tatoueurs, tatoués (2014-2015, Musée du Quai Branly, Paris)
  • Last Gasp Anniversary Show (111 Minna Gallery)
  • Joshua Liner Gallery