This project means much more to me than any I’ve accomplished before. It was created in the memory of Michael pierce, my father unexpectedly passed away in late 2022.

The creation of “PROJECT MICHAEL” was inspired by my dads passion for woodworking, something I've only dabbled in. It was a process that truly challenged me as an artist. For this project, I aimed to combine my dad’s passion for woodworking with my skills as a screen-printer and Graphic Designer.

For Project Michael, I wanted to depict an era of my dads life that I’ve always thought was intriguing - this would be his amateur career in kick-boxing. He went by the name “Lightning Kid,” a name that mirrored his quick and powerful kick-boxing style. Although he had a short career, kick-boxing was something my dad was proud of. It was only a fragment of his life that I feel reflected his motions through hard times.

During times of struggle, my dad seemed to move forward and work as hard as he could - he was a born fighter. Although my illustrations are literal representations of kick-boxing, they also represent my dad’s “born fighter” mentality.