Michael Ferrarell:

My background in the arts began at the University of Kentucky where I studied printmaking and learned how to screen print. Originally from Chicago, IL, I was greatly influenced by graffiti and street art which inspired me to begin making my own screen-printed stickers and posters while studying in Lexington. After graduating from UK with a Bachelor of Art in 2010, I moved back to Chicago and established myself as a street artist better known as Left Handed Wave.

From 2011 to 2018 I took my street art from New York to Los Angeles and many major cities in between. I was getting up as much unsanctioned artwork as possible and built Left Handed Wave into a reputable street art entity easily recognized in the midwest and most notably in Chicago. While sticking thousands of vinyl stickers and wheat pasting hundreds of posters around the states, my focus eventually began to shift towards murals and creating art on a larger and more meaningful scale. I’ve painted numerous murals under the Left-Handed Wave umbrella, but the subject matter can be very limiting and doesn’t always line up with the site-responsive aesthetics I’m currently most passionate about.

Over the last couple years, I’ve been developing a new concept for my mural work that focuses mainly on location and the different elements contributing to the makeup of that space or community. I want to make artwork that tells a nonfictional story by creating significant imagery that has a distinct and intriguing connection to the location of the mural. I’m currently applying for mural opportunities nationwide and throughout North America.