Michael Connor is a fellow who sometimes enjoys bad photographs of himself.
A USM graduate, he once taught Cartooning at Waynflete Summer Arts, and did drawing projects at the Windham School Age Childcare program. He continues teaching in the Illustration department at Maine College of Art and Design. Breakwater School Summer. He’s been published in the 2004 24 Hour Comic Day Highlights book and mentioned in the Comics Journal. In addition to making Coelacanthus he has exhibited in many Portland galleries, created art for such renowned musical clients as id m theftable, Big Blood, Dan Knudsen, and Tom Whitehead, and co-founded M and M Club Buttons with his One True Love. Most recently he created the poster image for the Maine Festival of the Book. Connor lives in Gorham and works in Portland.
Rooted in Maine, I’ve looked under rocks and logs to make discoveries in themselves, but also to fuel my picture-making. Not methodical enough to participate in a scholarly life, I take much inspiration from the scientific process, creatures and nonsense grounded in popular science and reason…
My One True, Maria, teaches yoga (and sometimes even successfully gets me to go to her classes!) We cook good food together, walk in the woods with our beloved son Rowan, and want a house so we can have cats and a garden.
Though my illustration has been primarily self-directed work, I’m ready and eager to take on client-based work. If you’re in need of eye-ctaching pen and ink work, look no further!
Exhibits:
–Interplay: Senior Thesis Exhibit, Lewis Gallery, Portland Public Library, 2001 -USM Alumni, USM, Group Exhibit, 2003 -“Collages” Strange Maine, 2004 -24 Hour Comics Day 2004 highlight book
–Altered Book Project, Portland Public Libary, 2005 -Group exhibits at ubu studio: “Monkey Business,” “Collage-Collage,” “Funny Happy Scary Sad.” 2005, 2006
-Group Exhibits at Sanctuary Tattoo: “Gilty Pleasures,” “Black Velvet,” “Strange Maine.” 2008-2010 -50 Books by 50 Artists: curated by Rebecca Goodale, Lewis Gallery, Portland Public Library, 2006
-“Mythomaniography: Paintings by Neill Ewing-Wegman & Michael Connor,” ubu studio, Portland, 2006
-Bockses and Blox USM Wishcamper Center, 2009.
-The Maine Festival of the Book 2010: Poster design.
-“The Fuzzy Allotropes” Green Hand Bookstore, Portland, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
-“Transitions” Juried Art Alumni Exhibit, Woodbury Campus Center, USM, Portland, 2014
-“Crypto Fauna, Chimera-Flora,” MECA Illustration at Sanctuary Tattoo, Portland, 2014.
-“Bounty,” Maine College of Art Faculty Exhibition, ICA, Portland, 2016.
Teaching:
Waynflete Summer Arts, 2001-2008
Summer at Breakwater, 2012-2016
Maine College of Art, present
Stonehouse Book Arts, 2011
Breakwater Aftercare Enrichment, 2013-2015.
