By Cathy Spaulding
Tea-lovers, Lion King fans and house cleaners across America can appreciate the talent of 1979 Muskogee High School graduate Mike Wimmer.
His detailed touch with a paintbrush created cover art for The Lion King CD, box art for Celestial Seasonings Christmas teas and the “sexy” new Mr. Clean.
Muskogee Public Schools will show the district’s appreciation by hosting a reception for Wimmer at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
“Mike is an excellent example of the outstanding graduates of Muskogee Public Schools,” MPS public relations director Melony Carey said. “He was a student council officer, football player, power lifting champion, and Mr. Teenager for 1979 for the state of Oklahoma. Mike not only is an excellent example of MPS grads, but of the caliber of talent produced in our community.”
Wimmer, who now has a studio in Norman, said the school recognition caught him by surprise.
“I’ve been doing it so long,” he said. “And growing up in Muskogee, you kind of take it for granted. When you go home, you’re still just Mike.”
He recalled the old proverb about a prophet or artist not being honored in his hometown.
Wimmer traces his interest in art to his school days.
“I was always drawing in class,” he said. “All my homework was illustrated. My math homework was illustrated. My history homework was illustrated. Luckily my teachers saw potential in me.”
He first got paid for his art at age 11, when he submitted a souped up drawing of his grandfather’s truck for the “Hottest 18-wheeler” contest for Hot Rod Cartoon magazine.
“My grandfather drove a truck for Griffins, so I drew a picture of his truck with fire coming out of the mufflers,” he said. “I got $50.”
A few years later, while in junior high school, Wimmer got a $1,700 check after winning first, second and third places at an Okmulgee art show.
Yet, Wimmer said he never took a school art class other than a semester in junior high and a mechanical drawing class in high school. Instead, he pursued football and power lifting. He earned a football scholarship.
He turned it down.
“I was on the All-State team and after I saw how big the players were, I knew I was good, but not good enough to play professionally,” he said.
He entered the University of Oklahoma art program, paying for his college education himself by doing carpentry. He soon landed a job with a Norman ad agency, doing art for a men’s clothier.
Unfortunately, art taught at OU was too abstract for Wimmer’s illustration skills, so a professor set up an apprenticeship with an illustrator in Texas, Wimmer said.
“That’s where I learned the business — how to prepare a portfolio, how to tell a story visually, how to market myself,” he said.
After setting up his Norman studio, Wimmer started illustrating local projects, including children’s book covers. He toured New York and got a broader audience.
Wimmer also attracted attention of corporate clients. He drew the box for the 50th anniversary of the Candyland game. That caught the attention of the Celestial Seasonings people, who asked him to draw box illustrations for Christmas teas. Wimmer said he already had illustrated boxes for other Celestial Seasonings teas, but the Christmas teas reach a broader audience.
“You walk down the aisles of Walmart or Homeland and see your work on Smucker’s jam or lawn care items,” he said. “I probably won’t be recognized as a fine artist, but I like finding artistic solutions for most of these clients.”
Wimmer also has painted murals for the Oklahoma Capitol.
“I’m getting paid to practice,” he said. “There’s always something in each job that’s worth doing.”
Reach Cathy Spaulding at 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com
If you go
WHAT: Reception for artist Mike Wimmer.
WHEN: 5 p.m. Tuesday.
WHERE: Muskogee Public Schools Professional Development Center, 206 W. Broadway.
WHO: 1979 Muskogee High School Graduate Mike Wimmer has illustrated various things, including Celestial Seasonings teas, Mr. Clean logo and the Lion King CD.
