Against The Wall

Curated Images from Walls Around the World


Sometimes I have art that looks as good on a wall as on your screen.   Selected prints shown may be available, or I can draw something specific for you!  Contact us for more information!!

Mirthquake?

“Not Earthquake. Mirthquake. Like shaking with laughter…”

Much like the name of Frankenstein has often been confused as being the creature’s name rather than the creator’s, Mirthquake has been the name of Matt’s comic strip and the name of his company Mirthquake Productions for over 20 years. However, the term has become synonymous with Matt, the artist, as he used it as his online handle on online Bulletin boards and social media.

So yes, he answers to “Mirth” too.

But where’d he come up with that name?  It all started with a story his dad used to tell about a momentous round of golf…

What Is a Mrakota?


Then what the heck is a Mrakota (as he signs his artwork)?

Mrakota was the family name when Matt’s Grandfather and Great-Grandfather emigrated from the Bohemian section of Czechoslovakia. So, yes, he is genuinely Bohemian (by blood)!
His grandfather was adopted by the Orsmans here in the New World but was allowed to keep the family name passed on through the generations, father to son, ever since.
According to Paul Goldschmidt’s Dictionary of Period Russian Names, Mrakota is a masculine name meaning “Dark.” However, a good friend of Matt’s, a Russian translator, says the word more accurately translates as “Murky” or “80% Chance of Thunderstorms.”
Either way you slice it, that’s how Matt signs his artwork.