Ultra Violet's Michelangelo Series: Artist Statement
I am a Mouse-voyeur. I am a Mickeyologist

1511: Michelangelo creates Adam
1928: Walt Disney conceives of "Mickey Mouse" (1928-9-11-2001)
2000: Ultra Violet gives birth to Micheangelo in honor of the millennium.

"Angels" have long inspirited my work, for they intervene with humans, create order out of chaos, and act as holy messengers. They are God's press agents, and in our apocalyptic time, Mickey Mouse can be viewed as an archangel.

Mickey confronts legions of babies and adults, and to children of foreign countries, he is an American friend. He flies to one's rescue, propelled by harnessed rainbow wings. Ubiquitously, he dashes in all directions, while emitting all hues of chromatic light: green, blue, red, black, white, magenta, yellow, purple, and orange. In short, Mickey is a missionary of safety and good humor.

In my Michelangelo Series, I take liberties with some characteristics of Disney's cartoon "Mickey Mouse." He is dressed or reclines in the nude, his sex prudishly hidden or exposed flashing a luminous dollar sign. He wears white gloves or removes them to reveal unclipped rodent claws.

With marvel, I gaze upon Michelangelo's painting of Adam which unveils the athletic flesh, freshly created by his progenitor God. Adam being the first man and Mickey, being the first animated animal to speak with a human voice, are predestined to be kindred spirits. Also, Adam names all the animals, calling our friend "Mouse." It was natural for me to graft Adam's primal body and mantle it upon my hybrid Mickey l'Angelo.

The "born again" name of Michelangelo embodies a synergy of "Mickey" (Mouse), "Angelo" (Angel in Greek) and "Michelangelo" (the Italian Renaissance master). A medley of cultures, images, icons, and ideologies gives birth to a genetically modified XXI century archetype.