Michael Roy, perhaps better known as the muralist Birdcap, was suspended from school in the fifth grade. The reason? Drawing Egyptian gods in his folder. “I was trying to make an encyclopedia of them, page by page,” Roy said. “The principal was worried it had to do with the occult.” His mom seemed to be unbothered by it, and rightfully so, because that same fifth grader has gone on to create art across multiple continents and make a name for themselves in the thriving street art scene. While Roy began his career in the United States, specifically the Memphis College of Art, he traveled halfway across the world to Seoul, South Korea, where he not only discovered the identity of Birdcap, but also found a home for himself in the Seoul street art scene. Roy sat down with Rooster to discuss his road to Birdcap, how South Korea shaped him, and the ways his loved ones manifest in his work. 

How did your time in Seoul influence your art? Were there any specific artistic styles or motifs that you felt particularly drawn to? 

There weren’t specific artistic styles or motifs really, no. I mean there was a lot of illustrative work I guess, but that was true everywhere by that point. The community in Seoul was hugely important to me though.  Junkhouse took me out painting right when I was getting started and showed me the ropes, along with a Brazilian artist who was in the city at that time named Zeh Palito. The artists in Seoul gave me a goal, more than anything. I’d been bouncing around this sort of existential circus of post academia, not knowing what the purpose of making art even was and then suddenly it became super simple. I just wanted to make art that made me one of them. I just wanted to fit in with them and be one of the gang, and if I never made a dime or if no one cared about it outside of them, that was totally fine. I can’t really express the gratitude I have for that time in my life and the artists that were working in the city in that moment.  Just by existing they sort of gave my life direction and I owe a lot of my happiest years to them.

 

What is your favorite thing about murals as the medium? Were you ever drawn to other mediums?

I fell into murals from falling in love with graffiti / street art.  It was a deep love for that community initially that got me into it, and maybe the lack of financial opportunity haha. The whole thing was all very romantic. That’s sort of my modus operandi I guess. I think now that it’s become a career, what attracts me to murals is the physical labor aspect.  My dad worked in construction and I really looked up to him. Something about waking up early and having a worksite and solving the logistics of it just makes me feel like him, and it maybe deflates my own insecurities about art being an un-relatable career, particularly to those who grew up where I did.

As far as other mediums, haha yeah I don’t know. I do a lot of stuff. A lot of gallery work on canvas. I’ve written and illustrated a couple of graphic novels. I just got back from Italy teaching a workshop on how to make mosaics.  (Mosaics are probably what I do most in the studio at this point). I do sculptures, fiberglass, inflatables etc. Lots of merch, from vinyl toys to stuffed dolls, clothing, skateboards, silkscreen prints etc.

 

You mention the influence of comic books, cartoons, and Jim Henson in your work. Can you describe your childhood experience with art, and where you remember art having an influence on you at a young age?

We didn’t have art class in school but we’d draw during recess or if you got your work done early. I drew a lot. I want to say maybe a teacher complimented me on it early on and it made me feel special. I remember drawing one of the Hanson brothers for a girl in fifth grade, trying to impress her. It came out looking more like Nick Cannon, so not like wildly special. That same year I was suspended for drawing Egyptian gods in a trapper keeper folder. I was trying to make an encyclopedia of them page by page, haha. The principal was worried it had to do with the occult. Mom didn’t get mad though.

I didn’t think about visual art as anything other than sort of entertainment (and maybe a gimmick for some self worth) until I applied to a magnet high school when I was sixteen. I wasn’t doing great socially in my current school and the family stuff was getting pretty messy at the time so it seemed like a fresh start. I applied for creative writing and got accepted, but the school lost funding and couldn’t open the literary branch, so they let me quietly join the visual arts since I’d already committed to going for Junior and Senior year.

How have you noticed your tastes and styles change over the course of your career? Where do you feel like you have grown the most as an artist?

I think when I started years ago, making the work was sort of the main drive. My relationship with the style was new and sort of bubbling about and I just wanted to get it onto a surface before it changed again. I also just wanted to see as much of it get made so I could look at it all and feel like I had a “Body of Work”. That felt so important when I was young, haha. The longer I’ve worked within this moniker of Birdcap, the more  rigorously structured the style has become. There’s advantages to that. I paint really fast. I illustrate fast. I can get a lot of ideas out now. So I think the focus for me more than anything now is the narratives and trying to communicate more with the audience. I spend more time writing for a new mural than sketching these days. There’s probably a good argument for either direction, so it’s a lateral move, but I guess the point is more to just stay on the bike rather than make for the summit.

As far as growth… Does gray hair count?

 

You mention on your website that your work tackles complex topics like grief and loss. What role do you believe art plays in the conversation around these complex topics? 

I think making art is a great way to process what we’re feeling, whatever that may be.  My work in general is very diary based. If you look at any recent work you could say it pretty much begs the audience to ask me about my girlfriend, haha.  Pretty much everything I make is a journal entry that I get to share without having to articulate it directly to anyone in my life. I hope that honesty translates to it relating with someone who’s seeing it, but I also don’t want to get too lofty or pretentious about what art can do for the viewer.  I know making it has helped me get through some really difficult times as well as create snapshots and show gratitude for some really wonderful times. I’m thankful that my audience has given me space to make it a career.

 

If you had to share a piece of insight of knowledge that you’ve gained over the course of your career with an artist just starting out, what would you say? 

Be nice to people. The art world is small. Careers and fortunes change. You won’t have a career without a few random acts of kindness, so pay it forward when you can. You’ll see the people in this world your whole life, so take care of those relationships. The better your community does in this game, the better you’re gonna do, so think of it as a team sport. A career lasts a lifetime if you’re lucky, not a month, so don’t burn bridges because of some short term goals by being rude or selfish. I’ve seen lots of people wash out that way.

Second thing; keep your heart open. It’s hard but I can’t stress enough how important that feels to me right now. You gotta have an open heart to receive the best parts of life. There’s nothing scarier to me than seeing an artist much more talented than I am, maybe a few years older or whatever, who’s gotten dark and crippled with fear or burn out or whatever. It’s an easy path to go down too. Being a full time creative is tough, and the gods are fickle. Trends change, the world changes, your income will change both ways throughout the course of a career. Try your best to keep your heart open and receptive to wonder, love, and hope through it all.