Beyond The Ballroom





In addition to his Ballroom dance career,
Mike is also a graphic artist, editorial cartoonist and photographer.




Sportsart Cartoons

Hattiesburg American (1979-1982)

During his Disco dancing phase, Mike was the staff and
advertising artist for The Clarion Ledger and The Hattiesburg American
as his regular job. In Hattiesburg, he created "SportsArt" featuring
cartoons for The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and several
SEC teams during football season.





Southern Miss vs. Arkansas State


Mississippi State vs. Florida


Ole Miss vs. Tulane






















And 30 years later...


vintage "Eagle Fever" tee shirt

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The sports cartoons were for fun and were very popular among readership.
Feature story art, logo design, ad design & layout and photography were Mike's primary jobs.
Along with the newspaper work, he also offered freelance art services...

Hattiesburg radio station logos and bumper stickers designed by Mike


Logo design


Tee shirt artwork


Southern Miss Football programs


Hand painted signs





Editorial Cartoons

Hattiesburg American




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Editorial Cartoons II

Jackson Free Press (2011-2013)

















Acrylic Paintings

Strictly for fun... and again, self taught




"'53 Chevy"




"Django Reinhardt"


"Broken Door "




"Red Bird"


"Tree Frog"


"Stache"




"Dancing on the Edge"


"Veloz & Yolanda"




"Promenade"


"Cha Cha "


"Holland and Hart"
(Vine Charcoal)




"At the Fence"




"The Sunset Tree"


"Trees in the Mist"




"Birch Trees"


"Biloxi Lighthouse"


"Truck on 49"


"Flora Caboose"


"5 Trees"



"Santana"


"The Cowboys"

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Abstracts


"Vertical Decision"


"Caiden"



"Tuscan Wall"


"Cosmical"


"Distressed"



"Primitave II"



"Etched Canyon"


"Landscape"



Mike was also baptized in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and performed
with Ballet Mississippi in "Coppélia" and "The Nutcracker" for nearly a decade.


This iconic scene in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" was shot at Alligator Lake in
Warren County. George Clooney, John Turturro & Tim Blake Nelson were skipping stones on the lake just off to the left while this scene was setting up.


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Drosselmeier



Mike bringing up the curtain in Ballet Mississippi's "The Nutcracker"



Herr Drosselmeier in "The Nutcracker"


The Burgomaster in "Coppélia"

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The Mississippi Dance Doctors - Michael K Day Photography 2024