Testimonials
Mike is grateful for every word ever said about his work. Some of these tributes and confirmations are editorial comments. Many are reactions to pieces people have purchased or commissioned, or responses to portraits depicting themselves. Others are spin-off’s inspired by Mike’s work, often in an educational context. All quotes are posted true to the author’s word. Comments on Mike’s Instagram posts and his ebay rating are other third party references.
What do other Artists say about their own sculpt’s?
“Check Out Mike Leavitt's Sculpture Of Mars Blackmon At The Jonathan Levine Gallery In The Chelsea Hood Of Manhattan.Please Baby, Please Baby,Please Baby, Please.”
Spike Lee
“The first time Mike made a Ron English figure… I must admit, I looked good: slim, dressed in black, brandishing the tool of my trade, a long-handled paint roller, and perched on the scaffold of a miniature billboard emblazoned with my culture-jammed take on Apple's famous campaign: Charles Manson for Think Different.
Mike Leavitt is truly radical; he exists in the DMZ between art and toys, and he understands the intersections of homage and caricature. Collectible figures as art is the gateway into creative collective consciousness. Toys function as language. Art is a physical encapsulation of an idea. But an Art Army? Get ready for the invasion!”
Ron English
“OH MY GOD!!!!!!! this is crazy!! i had no idea you were going to make a figure of me/mygirl!!! holycow!!!! sooooo amazing!!! thankyou so so much for creating this. those octo legs are sooo elegant and beautifully curved. amazing you are! thankyou! :D :D”
Audrey Kawasaki
“JUST GOT TO SEE THE FIGURE......I LIKE IT, BRINGS ME BACK TO A NICE TIME AND PLACE.......”
SEEN
“This is the most genius thing I have seen!!! OMG!! THIS IS HOT!!! This really is the best thing I’ve seen in a long time. Your show looks great too. Thank you”
Friends With You
“Mike!!! I LOVE IT!!!! great resemblence!! it totally rules!! i think the clothing is waay cool, dig the booze bottle and the cartoony limbs!!!! see ya at the show!!!! THANX SO MUCH!!!!”
Joe Ledbetter
“... all I can say is... uh... um... actually, i'm totally speachless. I am so flattered. Your sculpt is amazing. I am as flattered, as I am honored, as I am impressed by your inclusion of me in your artist sculpture series.”
Luke Chueh
“i have to say thank you very much for including me in your list of really amazing dudes. i am familiar with your series and i am really honored to be included.”
Jeremy Fish
What does everyone else say about Mike’s work?
“What can i say, i'm speechless! The Ian Simms figure looks fantastic! You nailed it! I cannot tell you how happy i am right now since seeing the pictures! I knew it was going to be great, but it's just perfect! And don't think i didn't notice the Andy Warhol/Velvet Underground banana underwear! That is the touch that really makes it, because it actually makes Ian a secretly hip dude. And we didn't even ask for that! It adds multiple layers of depth to the character with a simple visual clue. Of course that's one of the things you're best at. Your attention to detail is astonishing... Please excuse the gushing, i cannot help it. Ever since the first minute i saw your work, i knew you were the guy for this project. I sincerely thank you for blowing away my expectations. I hope we can work together again in the future.”
Damon Welner, Probot Productions
Los Angeles
“I know it's hard to believe, but my 9 yr. old grandson Chase is your biggest fan; he's started doing sculpey movable pieces and is quite the aspiring artist... He is obsessed with his art -- and he's constantly experimenting with new techniques... he absolutely ADORES you and your work. Thanks for being you.”
Mark and Chase
Fort Worth, TX
“I am writing to you as a huge fan of your work! I truly appreciate your creativity. Its masterful and like none I've ever seen... your technique and authenticity, not to mention the historically relevance of each piece, is totally original. I am 100% service-connected, disabled veteran of two tours in Iraq. I was in the Air Force. My partner, Jim, together have become very amused, confused and abused by the news of the state of Our nation. This surely isn't the America I fought and became disabled for. Nonetheless (he said with a deep breath...), Jim and I have collected different artist renditions of Trump in the form of figurines and statues. I have purchased the one you created... would you be willing to sign the Trump of your creation for my partner and his dope collection of Trumpsonian figures? That would be the ultimate!”
Ryan Matasovsky
Lakemoor, Illinois
“BOONE arrived safe and sound last Friday and I have to tell you how emotional the 'unwrapping' was. I waited for Denise to get home from work...and when we unveiled it, we really felt an air of pure 'sad/happy'...we're always a little down when we see an image of Boone and know he's just not with us anymore, but this painting really lifted our spirits and gave us a sense of true elation also with it's atmospheric beauty and surreal crispness...it is a treasure we'll cherish forever...thank you so much.”
Len Bellinger, New York
“The (Art Army) project is clearly aligned against the forces of imperialism and cultural suckiness, but Leavitt makes his points with a light touch, being too high-spirited and incorrigibly silly to get bogged down in another dreary leftist critique.”
David Stoesz, Seattle Weekly
“Just wanted to tell you what a great hit the figure made. Everyone loved it. It came out fantastic. J was so surprised by the figure. He really liked it. Everyone at the party was very impressed by your work... Thank you so much for everything. The figure made it fine, nothing was broken. Once again, thanks for your effort in getting it to me by the party, and thanks for your wonderful work. I really appreciate everything you did.”
Linda Braet
New York
“We got Evo today and I just wanted to let you know how much I love him. I am really excited to have him around our house. He came through in good shape and he is stunning in person. You added so many little details that convey his personality, and the display case adds a lot, too. The transparency of the flag is a great touch. I want to thank you for taking on a pretty eccentric project with us. We have wanted to get one of your figures for a long time and I am glad we finally went for it. Thanks again, and keep in touch.”
Martin & Carolyn
Portland, OR
“Leavitt succeeds in art’s most important function — to not only help us recognize and articulate our values, but participate in a dialog that validates them as well. At its best, art connects our best selves with each other, and he has done that... I’m grateful to artists who address the subject of 'What is it about fighting and glorifying fighting and power, anyway?' in a way that gets our minds thinking and lips moving.”
Polymer Clay Daily
“You are pure comic relief, at a time when we feel we need to increase the dose on our BP meds! Please, please keep them coming! Incredible to live in a country where we have such a nut governing us; but have the freedom to voice our displeasure any way we want <3 What a blessing you are! <3. The Elizabeth Warren doll is really important to me, as she is my fave Senator from Massachusettes, and has fought furiously for healthcare for the uninsured/underinsured. I already have plans to write my 3 year old grandaughter a letter, and include it with my Little Elizabeth, when I am no longer here. I want her to know who the REAL heroes of the country were in 2016- and to never forget what integrity, fairness, & courage look like: Elizabeth Warren. She will be like leaving behind a lttle piece of historic legacy. After the progress I saw in Washington during the passage of the underinsured/uninsured bill, I got an EXCELLENT idea of what could be accomplished with grass roots, persistance, & a selfless drive to TRULY make America great again.”
Gail Carey
Lindenhurst, New York
“Dear Mr.Leavitt, My name is Ben Foster I am 14 years old and I am in a high school ceramics class at PK Yonge in Gainesville, Florida. For a project we were told to make a powerpoint and a sculpture that is inspired from any famous artist throwout the world. I chose you because I like your figurines and I thought you would be a cool person to do a project on. You have a great talent in making art. If you have any other information that I can put into my project I will truly appreciate it. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”
Ben Foster
Florida
“Hello, I've recently been looking at your work and it is phenomenal, my Dad and I are big film fans and love how detailed your director sculpts are. We especially love the Tarrantino and Kubrick models, we were discussing what directors we'd love to see made into one of your sculpts... I'm sure you've got many more amazing models to come. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.”
Zedd and Darryl
“My brother was thrilled with his Hitchcrow, as I knew he would be... Thanks again, Mike.”
Granny Barb
“I can't wait to get them you make such incredible pieces. Your creativity & different concepts are really cool. I hope you continue to make 3D printed sculptures available for sale on more items in the future.”
Pat McKeever
“Look what Santa brought me this year.”
Mateo
“As promised, I wanted to show you some of the end results of the art project my eighth graders created. We had a fun time working on the projects and completed the project with a fashion show, judged by the other eighth grade class. Students were judged on being the most wearable and the most aesthetically pleasing. One student even made a costume to go along with his angel/devil shoes. Another made her gladiator sandals so realistically, she was able to wear them without detection!... once again my students had a wonderful time and I will definitely do the project again next year.”
Melissa Gumbs
Elwood, Illinois
“I am making cardboard shoes with my students, using yor images for inspiration - the students LOVE them! ... (the image to the right is) some of their homeworks from the start of the project – the brief was to make a 3D shoe from paper/card. As you can see, there were some really great attempts and we are building on this in class work.”
Gail Atkinson
United Kingdon
“I'm an art teacher... very intrigued with your cardboard shoe work and have decided to use you as a contemporary artist to discuss with my eighth graders. I'm currently working on my Masters in Art Ed. and there is a big focus on incorporating contemporary artists into our curriculum. Your work was a perfect fit with my eighth grade class... I have never seen my students as interested in a project before. I don't know if was connection to art being made currently or an interest in the subject matter, but they were really, really excited which made me excited. Students have to create a shoe, inspired by your work (using cardboard, paper towels, etc.). We are having a contest for the most wearable and the most aesthetically pleasing. I know they will be super excited to hear that the actual artist we are discussing is aware of their project and emailed me!”
“Mike! We love love love the figures. You rule so much. You really came through on all the subtle nuances. I have seen many of your figures online, and then a couple behind glass, but I think (and no I'm not biased) these are among your finest. The tattoos! The eyebrow! The Burgerman! G loves her dress and I love my 'signature' hair.
These are really, really brilliant. Thanks again my friend.”
Jeremy & Greta
San Francisco
“The guys arrived here, safe and sound. I'm thrilled with them. Thank you so so much for everything. It's been an absolute pleasure. Enjoy the rest of the summer, enjoy your art, and have amazing days ahead of you. Will definitely be looking forward to seeing more of your artwork around. We're proud to have a little piece of you in our lives. Lots o' lovin'!”
Ido Gonen
London
“I wanted to write and send you some pictures of the cake topper from our wedding. Seriously, the cake topper was the hit of the night. We had an amazing wedding - the weather was awesome (good thing since everything was outside), the food was good... but nothing got people talking like the cake topper. Thank you.”
Gil & Rachel
New York
“Thanks for the amazing cake topper Mikey! We absolutely love it... best present EVER!”
Jackie & Tex
Seattle
“(Leavitt's) custom work is just a little bit different than most. He makes action figures, and what is more action packed than a wedding? With a few simple design modifications, Mike turned his action figure style into one of a kind cake toppers.”
Handcrafted.com
“By creating cardboard sculptures of some of the most popular models in footwear he is essentially riding the commercial train and exercising his meticulous craft of making these wearable cardboard replicas... he is smart to tap into the fanaticism because the demographic that would buy these may not usually buy a piece of art.”
Trendland