Mike Reagan – Crescent Artist
We are honored to work with Crescent Cardboard Co, LLC helping to tell the story of Michael Reagan, an accomplished Seattle portrait artist and a decorated vet who dedicates his time creating portraits of fallen soldiers and supplies them to families at no charge.
Mike served in the Marines in Vietnam. He joined in 1966 and came home April 10, 1968. When Mike came home from Vietnam, he attended Art School at The Burnley School of Professional Art in Seattle. Art school was where Mike was introduced to Crescent artboard – he had only used paper until then. He liked the more substantial feel of the Crescent artboards under his pencils and other drawing tools and never looked back.
Mike’s work is well respected, and his portraits were commissioned by many famous people who enjoyed his style and talent. His portraits were also used to raise money for many worthy causes.
Mike was contacted by Cherise Johnson after seeing his charity work featured on TV. She wanted to commission a portrait of her husband Michael, a corpsman, who had lost his life serving his country in Iraq. Mike would not accept money for the portrait but delivered the art to Cherise, who was able to reconnect to her husband Michael through his portrait. This was the beginning of Mike’s life’s work and the reason he started his Fallen Heroes non-profit organization. Mike typically creates two portraits a day of fallen heroes and has completed over 15,000 portraits so far in his career.
Mike talked about his inspiration for doing the Fallen Hero drawings.
“I am a Marine Vietnam Combat Veteran. I know what it is to lose friends in war, firsthand. My experience with my friend Vincent is real, and its effect on me is real. It drives me because some days I am pretty tired and very sad. But I know if I do what I am supposed to do, a family somewhere of someone I didn’t know can feel a little better if I do their portrait. Suicides are a part of my project, and I get up before most people I know to do my drawings. Once in a while, I take time to draw any commissions I might have to help pay my bills. Then some days I just draw anything to help my heart heal, so I can get back to the fallen portraits. Then at the end of the day, I walk 5.5 miles and just talk to the dogs in my neighborhood (I carry treats for them, they like me), I listen to music, try and relax, and heal for tomorrow.”
Mike and his wife were such gracious hosts, and Mike’s story and life’s work are incredibly moving. It is these stories that ground us and make us reflect on the sacrifices many make for all of us, daily all around the world.
