My name is Michael Banks ( Sugar Fueled )

Bio

Sugar Fueled / Michael Banks is a freelance artist from Burbank, CA who specializes in pop surrealism, lowbrow oil paintings and comics filled with cute, big eyed characters and animals in colorful, candy filled scenes. Michael planted his roots as an artist over 20 years ago selling tattoo flash around the world and has since ventured in tattoos, clothing, music, street art, stencil pop art, sketch cards, children's stories and comics that have led him to the sweet world that he resides and paints in today. Michael's art has taken on adventures in every major city across the United States, traveling to hundreds of comic cons / conventions and art galleries from coast to coast. Michael along with his wife/manager Sarah Banks run Sugar Fueled clothing. A line based on Michael's art and his trademark broken star that represents perseverance, set with the goal of making the world a sweeter and happier place.

Long Biography

Michael Banks, born in St. Petersburg Florida on November 27, 1978, is an ever changing accomplished artist whose work has made its way across the world.  His evolution from an elementary doodler to modern day oil painter has certainly had its ups and downs, but as his star trademark represents (perseverance), no force will keep him from creating.  Michael, to those who know him, has his head in the clouds but his feet planted firmly on the ground.  For a man who could be pretentious, he walks a life of humility and is an extremely gracious human being.

“I started at an early age making noise and what could be called art for a toddler.  I loved living here…the beach and Disney nearby.  At about age 4-6,  I had nothing better to do but wake up early to watch cartoons and Bob Ross, scribble in my coloring books, play with toys and oranges in the backyard while listening to Thriller. My fondest memory of St. Pete was when I accidentally left all of my crayons on the sidewalk in front of my house and they all melted in the crazy Florida heat.  I covered the entire sidewalk in pictures from the melted mess.  I think this is where I found my love for art.  In first grade I was asked to design the cover of our school year book, that’s when I knew I was going to be an artist.”

When Michael moved to Niceville, Florida around the age of seven he found that it was truly a “nice” place to live.  It was here, for the next four years, that the seeds of rock & roll, skateboarding, and incessant drawing were planted.  After learning some chords from his dad, Michael was hooked on the guitar.  “I knew I would be a famous guitarist/artist when I grew up or I would die trying.”  The latter, to his delight, is panning out, as his name is quickly traveling and his art is gaining notoriety.  Michael’s incessant drawing was/is part of his being and has had its ups and downs, but has ultimately led to his present path.  “I would draw similar things over and over…skulls, bleeding hearts, daggers, blah, blah, blah…needless to say at seven years old I got into a lot of trouble drawing these things in school and covering my entire left arm in tattoo designs with markers.  The school contacted my mom saying I was a great artist for my age but I may need help.”

At the age of eleven Michael, and his family, moved to Fairborn, Ohio (a far cry from sunny, exciting Florida).  But, after some time braving the boredom of cornfields, he started to get into trouble again, and made some friends who shared his joy of skating and rock & roll.  It was here that Michael entered his first talent shows after taking a series of guitar lessons.  His losses were shrugged off and at this time the best news came to his ears…they were moving back to Florida (Fort Walton Beach).  He described this as a deliverance from hell!  He continued his passion for sketching, mainly in school, and was still able to maintain decent grades.  He started his guitar lessons back up and it was at this point Michael’s genre of music would take a sharp left turn.  “I started making more noise than ever since my teacher took me to my first punk show, this changed me… hardcore, punk, grind and metal took over my life.  I wanted to make the fastest music ever heard.  When I was sixteen I started my first band named Ch.18.  We played lots of local show and made stickers…we posted everywhere.  Around the same time I made friends with the local tattoo shops and learned how to lay out flash sheets.  Within the next year I had made four sets of tattoo flash and was selling all over Florida on the weekends.  Summer came and I was living in a Jeep with a friend and we hit every tattoo shop we could.  I couldn’t believe people were buying this stuff.  For the first time I was making a living off of my art.  Life was great!” 

At the age of seventeen, after touring selling tattoo flash, Michael ran into some hard times, but was able to fall back on his art and music to keep his dreams alive.  He got a job at a local screen printing shop and learned how to make his own shirts and stickers, which was perfect for promoting his new even faster paced band Crib. They traveled the southeast playing shows, putting up stickers and selling flash.  “I couldn’t afford very much so I would go to the goodwill and buy all the blank shirts to print.  I also got addicted to collecting junk, toys and while shopping these stores, I saw my first Margaret Keane painting and was addicted to big eyes.  Crib broke up when I was nineteen but I wasn’t done making noise yet, I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to play what I was into.  So, I started my one man spastic “noisecore” band.  I wrote twenty-two short, fast songs and called it Sick Kid after my failed comic that went nowhere.  I recorded tape after tape, made sticker after sticker, printed shirt after shirt, all by hand after hours at the screen printing shop with shirts from the goodwill of course.” 

“I lived in a small apartment by myself next to work.  Life was easy then…I traveled and played shows around Florida and sold the new flash on my days off.  Around the same time I finally got offered an apprenticeship to tattoo from a friend at the shop.  I moved out of my apartment to save money to learn.  I slept wherever I could for free…the shop, the playground, friends garages and behind buildings.  This was the toughest time in my life. I didn’t sleep or eat much.  It was all work.  I didn’t care. I just wanted to learn to tattoo.  After starting to tattoo, I finally got enough money to buy my own van.  I lived in it on the beach and hotel parking lots.  I had access to a hotel pool, hot tub and shower in the gym.  I loved the freedom.  At twenty I saved all my money from tattooing all summer and I made a few new sets of flash and lots of merchandise.  I hit the road all winter playing shows and selling flash up and down the east coast.  I sold everything! When I got back home I started tattooing full time and quit screen printing.  I was still friends with the owner of the screen printing shop and I started my clothing line.  When I turned twenty-one I did my first U.S. tour selling flash, playing shows and stickering everything to promote my art and clothing line.  After that tour I quit music all together to focus on my art.”

This was a major turning point and refocusing in Michael’s life.  It was here that he first started to experiment with oils.  Over the next four years he lived in his van travelling only to come home when he ran out of goods, paint, as well as to draw new flash, make new shirts and stickers and of course tattoo until he had made enough money to hit the road again.  “I loved to travel.  I always had a friend with me to help me drive and hang out.  I had a route, over time, of tattoo shops and all the good places to put up stickers.  At twenty-five flash sales were getting slow because of the internet, so I stopped travelling.  I changed the name of my company from Sick Kid to Coallus after having trademark issues.  Around this time, 9/18/04 to be exact, I met my best friend Sarah in Pensacola Florida.  We moved in together and I started using the internet as my main source to sell, Ebay and Myspace to market my new material and was also tattooing and painting a lot. I hopped on Van's Warped Tour with a friend’s band to sell my clothing line as well as making short trips to the cities to sell new flash, have art shows and put up art and stickers.”

A year later Michael joined up with Tattoo Johnny to sell his flash.  “I had a lot of friends from travelling and Myspace that put my stickers up for me all over the world.  There was no reason to leave home anymore.  Over the next few years I did a few tattoos a month to make it by and I painted like crazy!  I booked art shows anywhere that would let me hang my stuff, usually bars and tattoo shops.  Then finally on 9/18/07 Sarah and I got married and opened Coallus tattoo and art gallery.  The shop was only there for a year.  I had a lot of cool art shows, did some great tattoos but decided I liked working alone better where I could focus on my oil paintings.  That’s all I wanted!  At thirty I quit tattooing.  It was time to start over again.  I changed the company name one last time to Sugar Fueled and Sarah was finally able to leave her full time management position to join me as my manager and persue our dreams. We moved to Orlando where we can play in the parks and I could brainstorm all day, make lots of art, traveling the world doing conventions, art shows, comic books and a new clothing line together. Slowly but surely taking over for your viewing pleasure.” In the last few years Michael’s art has sky rocketed and his perseverance is as strong as ever, if not stronger. 

His devotion to his incredible wife and craft has motivated Michael to tackle any and all endeavors with feverish passion.  At any given moment he has multiple paintings in the works, shows lined up, convention dates in concrete, books and animations in progress and anything that will propel his passion forward.  His art can be viewed and purchased 

online through his website and through other promising and successful venues such as major art shows and conventions, etc.  The amazing attributes that I personally know about Michael, who I now call my friend, is that he is an honest, passionate, incredibly hard working, imaginative, dedicated, modest professional who will make it to the top or die trying.  And, I must say this, Michael aims to please.  His fans and their joy from the art he creates, will and is ultimately a significant driving force behind his desire to live and breathe art.  If it makes him smile, then it will make you smile and so is the nature of Michael Banks. "Whether I make it as an artist or not, as long as I make people happy... I have succeeded."

Written by John Comfort and Michael Banks

Sugar Fueled / Michael Banks (born 11/27/1978) is a freelance artist from Orlando, FL who specializes in pop surrealism, lowbrow oil paintings and comics filled with cute, big eyed characters and animals in colorful, candy filled scenes. Michael planted his roots as an artist over 20 years ago selling tattoo flash around the world and has since ventured in tattoos, clothing, music, street art, stencil pop art, sketch cards, children's stories and comics that have led him to the sweet world that he resides and paints in today. Michael's art has taken on adventures in every major city across the United States, traveling to hundreds of comic cons / conventions and art galleries from coast to coast. Michael along with his wife/manager Sarah Banks run Sugar Fueled clothing. A line based on Michael's art and his trademark broken star that represents perseverance set with the goal of making the world a sweeter and happier place.