Mike’s Art Truck is a folk art gallery operated by Greg & Karen Mack.
There is no real truck, only an imaginary truck driven by our cat Mike.
Here’s how it got started.
Our folk art adventures began many years ago when we made our first visit to the late great Howard Finster. Over time we came to know & love many artists and their work. We visited them often and bought what we could. Gradually our house filled with beautiful things. We were always sorry that we couldn’t buy more from these wonderful & talented friends. We wanted to find a way to help the artists show and sell their work to more people. And we wanted to share the joy that we received from their art and their stories.While we were wrestling with all that, Karen’s employer came to the rescue. At the time Karen worked her regular job at Doppler Studios, a recording facility in Atlanta. The studio manager had recently become interested in folk art and was looking for the right items to dress up the studio’s bare walls. So that did it! Mike’s Art Truck was born.The concept brought smiles.We kept the walls of Doppler filled with folk art for a number of years, until we moved to North Carolina in 2012. The clients that came through Doppler for all kinds of audio recording were surprised and delighted with the art on the walls & the bios of the artists. The artists were thrilled to have their work shown to a wide range of famous folks in a busy town like Atlanta. And since we do not have the expenses of a stand-alone art gallery, we are able to return to the artists a larger portion of the sales. That way we are able to keep our prices reasonable for our customers. Hurray! Everybody wins!We relocated.We are now living far from the traffic of Atlanta, in the charming old town of Hillsborough, North Carolina. We are looking forward to making more new friends and bringing some great folk art to the NC Triangle area. While we continue to promote self-taught artists here on our website, we are always hoping to find a friendly space to take the place of the gallery at Doppler Studios. Let us know if you have ideas!We focus on the artist.Our emphasis is on self-taught art obtained directly from living artists. Much of the art we offer is on consignment to us directly from the artists. We also sell pieces that we have purchased directly from the artists. We support our artists' preferences for artistic control and personal privacy. Artists set their own prices, and decide when to change inventory. We do not give out contact information for the artists without their permission, but we will be glad to try to facilitate contact for our customers whenever possible. Sadly, some of the artists that we have loved are no longer living, and we respect the wishes of their families. Sometimes all the artist's work is withdrawn from sale. We may at times continue to sell the work of the artist that remains in our care. Generally once those pieces are sold, we do not obtain additional work from other sources for resale.Customer service is one-on-one.
We do not use an online shopping cart. If you have questions or if you are ready to make a purchase, just email us at mikesarttruck@centurylink.net. There is an email link on each page of the website. We will email you an invoice via PayPal for the artwork you want to buy. You can pay online with PayPal or a credit card without sharing any of your account numbers with us. If you prefer you can also pay us with a personal check.Shipping is also one-on-one.All the art we offer can be shipped within the US. We charge for shipping, but our goal is only to defray cost. Charges are figured on an individual basis, generally depending on size and weight of the art. We are not attempting to make a profit on shipping charges.Packages are shipped via USPS or UPS and are tracked and insured.
The world is full of nice people.We would like to thank our new friends at the Orange County Public Library, Hillsborough Arts Council, Music Maker Relief Foundation, Billsborough Live Music Hall, and Outsider Art & Collectibles. We are proud to support The Handmade Parade. Visit our old friends Doppler Studios and Sam's Tape Truck at www.dopplerstudios.com.Thanks for supporting folk art!
OUR STORY
This is Mike.
In 1995, as tiny kittens, Mike and his brother Dave were found on our vet's doorstep in a Hardee's box. Mike and Dave were virtually inseparable - often napping in a ying-yang position - until Dave passed away in 2005. Mike was soon joined by adoptive siblings Peter and Grace. Mike had a calming effect on every cat that met him, even some very shy rescued foster kittens. He had a very loud purr, that was easily triggered. He never attempted to bite or scratch anyone no matter what a well-meaning human might be trying to do to him. He had a big round belly and a stick of a tail. Karen's boss Bill Quinn described him as "an earnest and sincere looking cat."
Mike passed away in 2012. He led a long and peaceful life.
Baby Mike and his brother Dave in 1995
Why a truck?
Karen's boss at Doppler Studios, Joe Neil, has a separate business that does remote audio recording. They arrive, set up equipment and record live performances onto tape from inside their tricked-out truck. He named his business after his dog Sam, calling it Sam's Tape Truck. Since Doppler gave birth to our folk art gallery, it seemed fitting to name our business in a similar way. Unlike Sam's Tape Truck however, there is no actual truck. We thought that in the spirit of folk art the truck might just as well be imaginary, after all it is driven by a cat. The logo is a wooden cut out that Greg crafted. That's Mikey hanging out of the window.
CONTACT US
email us:
write us:
Greg & Karen MackMike’s Art Truck505 N Scottswood BlvdHillsborough, NC 27278call us:
678-357-2778CHOOSE AN ARTIST
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