A Watts native, Michael Paul Norice started painting murals in 2012-2013. He now mostly operates in Los Angeles, including several murals here in our own neighborhood at Freedom Plaza and just outside Starbucks.
People in the LA area may recognize his murals: HOPE and FORGIVENESS among many others. They’re located In South LA and consist in part of a series of 20 messages, as a gift to LA, so far encompassing a total of six pieces.
Mike Norice began creating murals around 2012-2013, his first commission was a mural in Marina Del Rey as a reimagined art piece of the Sistine Chapel with LA famous characters. Since then, other murals have followed such as another mural close to us, in the Jordan High School Library.
Recently, Mike has been working on what he calls a “sizzle reel” about his journey. The “sizzle reel” focuses on interviewing people who’ve known him and will talk about him and the impact his art has had on his community. The “sizzle reel” hopes to bring awareness to his message and provide him funding to expand his projects outside of LA and California, eventually moving outside the U.S. as a whole.
Mike’s art can take up many different styles, he says that he can mostly do any style and follow any form of art such as watercolors, pastels, acrylic, etc. His art style consists of different styles but is mostly composed of youthful, colorful, and very realistic styles. He considers his first main style to be graffiti. When it comes to favorites he really has none.
Mike Norice was born in Watts but moved to his grandmother’s house in Fresno. He wouldn’t discover his artistic talent until 1985 when his kindergarten teacher told him he had excelled faster than the other kids. “It was at that point that my mother did whatever she could to try to keep me in that lane and keep me motivated even though I couldn’t afford art supplies or anything like that.”
“I started painting when I was around two, so in the early 80’s, 1982, I started drawing on pretty much anything. We were a very poor family, very very poor”.Growing up homeless he remembers going to an aluminum recycling center with his mom and sister to get food so art became a kind of escape as a kid.”
“I channel my inspiration from just humans, the streets, nature. I get influenced so much that I wish I had an assistant with me when I’m driving.
I get most of my ideas when driving, on the highway for long hours of going here to there. So I get inspired by the oddest thing at the oddest times.”
Now, he’s started an organization, Artfully United which’s still in its beginning phase. So far he hopes to create his academy to help others who hope to pursue a career in the arts.
