Biography

Born : Michael Paul Moncus on August 14th, 1975 in Austin, Texas

1975-1977 : Lived with parents in Bastrop State Park, Bastrop, Texas. Learned about crawling and object
    permanence.

1977 : Moved with parents to vacant lot filled with pine trees where parents were building a house from scratch.
Lived in camper for a while, then in a house of various stages of completion. Learned about outhouses and
drinking rainwater and getting hit between the eyes with the claw end of a hammer.

1978 : Birth of J. R. Moncus, little brother, future musician, poet, anthropologist. Fun was had by all.
           Learned about ice and grandparents.

1980 : Drew own insides during "how do you feel inside" question for kindergarten entrance interview. Declared
weird. Learned adults don't literally want what they ask for.

1982 : Broke left arm in half swinging too high in swing set in Bastrop State Park. Briefly flew for a second. Taught
           that everything is in fact ones own fault. Learned about pain and disappointment.

1983 : Poked ant with finger. Finger swelled. First of many continuing attacks, but little understood at the time.
        Learned nothing but embarrassment.

1983 : Developed severe walking pneumonia. Told was faking it until undeniable 108 degree fever was reported by
        school nurse. Sent to hospital for 30 days to have lung punctured, collapsed, and drained. Received get well
cards from fellow second grade students. Saw Michael Jackson on hospital cable television. Learned about
        science, medicine, attention, and compassion.

1985 : Voted best at drawing drag race cars in informal contest at school. Kicked Hacky Sack on roof of gym.
Learned about pride and loss.

1986 - 1987 : Joined 5th grade band. Continued until 1993. Achieved highest G.P.A. in class. Learned that you
        can learn nothing and still score well.

1987 : Taught by mother from book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" how to draw more realistically and
        how to use negative space. Subsequent drawings win Honorable Mention for drawing the muscles and
        ligaments of a skinned chicken and other birds in extreme detail. Learned really wanted to pursue art.

1988 : Won 1st place in state U.I.L. Science contest. Declared "Nerd" by all. Learned not to try so very hard.

1989 : Broke femur of own teammate with extremely hard hit during football practice. He never walked well again.
Learned about guilt even when doing what one is supposed to.

1990 : Retreated further into isolation by concentrating on drawing Batman, the Joker, and Superman. Learned
kids like other kids to draw comic characters, not trees and bird insides.

1991 - 1994 : Nothing of note occurs through high school and graduation save for dissolution of family and
subsequent separation, reunification, and then divorce of parents. Learned to be an adult.

1994 - 1999 : Studied studio art at Southwest Texas State University. Collaborated with excellent artists and
reexamined definitions of art. Learned to learn and experiment.

1997 : Met Kimberly Clarke (now Moncus) in advanced drawing class. Learned to love something other than
one's self.

1999 : Graduated college with BFA. Learned about loan repayment.

2000 : Married Kimberly Clarke, sculptor, teacher, now mother. Learned commitment and trust.

2000 - Present : Moved around a lot, worked lots of bad jobs for bad pay. Learned hard work doesn't make a
difference and usually makes you the one doing all the work, but that it is still usually the best thing to do.

2003 : Suffocated from Hereditary Angioedema attack in throat and spent 4 days in a coma. As a result, started
         series of artworks based on the experiences of swelling over the years. Learned to put self into artwork and
        to depend on drugs to live.

2004 : Birth of Myra Mai Moncus, daughter and reason for living. Fun was had by all. Learned to pay attention.

Present : Working on various series of paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures dealing with everyday life
and everyday experiences. Learning.