A recurring metaphor in artist Ty Meier’s artwork is humble critters vs predators, and this mouse mama with babies originally came out of a larger artwork where they were hiding from an owl. He identifies with the mice because if they were just left alone they could find some happiness in the world, and he feels that way, too, in fact he resents the predators amongst us who seem to be out to ruin other people’s happiness.
Ty was intrigued by the different attitudes people had about Mama Mouse. The many attitudes towards mice included protectiveness, disgust, affection, and his favorite was “Why draw mice when you can draw something awesome?”
There is a bemusing difference in tone from people contemplating these huddled mice and that of people contemplating that great anthropomorphic cultural zeitgeist Mickey Mouse, and Ty wonders how that giant evolved from these tiny critters.
Ty glued and pressed this print to a hand-painted art panel then used a long thin signpainterly brush called a rigger to calligraphically add the clear heavy body acrylic texture, and then he lacquered it to protect it and give it that glittering finish.
