What is it about Michael's art that makes Susan believe he has rare talent? It is my position that drawing what you see is a skill that can be learned. However, being able to create from the imagination is a rare talent. It seems that these pictures were drawn not while he was viewing them, but from memory and imagination. The skyline would not look like these pictures, and the Statue of Liberty would not be inland. This appears to be a collage of his memories of New York.


http://www.carpeoccasio.com/lost/images/oceanicair/sketches2.jpg
http://www.carpeoccasio.com/lost/images/oceanicair/sketches3.jpg

Also, the cards Michael made for Walt are very personal. Most people would go out and buy cards for their children. I think that's another thing about Michael's art that makes it special. It's very personal to him. Of course, most artists are very personally attached to their work. The difference is that art is the way that Michael connects to others. It is his communcation tool. It's certainly how he tried to connect to Walt. In fact, I think that the cards and letters that Michael sent to Walt are responsible for his being able to reconnect with his son in the end.

Michael is such an enigma. I can't figure him out, but I think you've opened a door to figure him out.

The pencil that Locke gave him, could be Locke's "in" with Michael. We discussed a while ago that he hasn't done his island magic on Michael yet, but maybe he has started?

Michael totally tried to connect with Walt through the artwork in the comic book, Good Catch!

Michael's communication skills could use some work, and maybe it's because he's always spoken through his work, and now that he can't he has no idea how to?

The pencil that Locke gave him, could be Locke's "in" with Michael. We discussed a while ago that he hasn't done his island magic on Michael yet, but maybe he has started?

I think he laid some groundwork, anyway. Of course, Michael didn't accept the pencil at the time. I think Michael is going to have to be more vulnerable than he has in the past for Locke to be able to get to him. With Walt missing we may be seeing Locke reengage Michael.

What has been bugging me about Michael the most is this scene. I'm beginning to think that Michael went back to school after he signed Walt away. He was pretty ambiguous about his art/construction career. Jack said he thought Michael was in construction. Michael's response is that he is/was. Does this mean he is in construction, but not in the same capacity anymore? Is Michael now an architect or architectural student? Obviously, Michael was in no shape to be working in construction as of the time that he last saw Susan and Walt. I'm wondering if Susan and Brian put up the money for him to continue his education while he recuperated.

Michael

See, this junction here, re-route some of the spring's water flow into a couple of suspended basins, pop in some hose, you got showers. This way you keep the drinking water separate.

Jack

This is.. you drew this?

Michael

I was an artist in a previous life.

Jack

I thought you were in construction.

Michael

I am. I mean, I was. Long story.

Susan seemed to be the only one who cared about Michael's art. I wonder why? Maybe she felt it would make him look more respectable than just being a construction worker. I'm dying to know how they met! Was she walking by a construction site and he saw her? I can't wait to find out!

Susan seemed to be the only one who cared about Michael's art. I wonder why? Maybe she felt it would make him look more respectable than just being a construction worker. I'm dying to know how they met! Was she walking by a construction site and he saw her? I can't wait to find out!

Mmmm, I'm not sure Susan would have used it as a bargaining chip if Michael didn't care about it that much. Further, I'm not sure how much status there is in being an unsuccessful artist. It takes a while to build a following, and New York is kind of a tough place for a young artist. It's awfully competitive, trying to get your work shown in the right galleries. I think he cares deeply about his art, but not as much as he cares for Walt.

In Special Susan commented on Michael not working for months. I wonder if Michael didn't consider construction the perfect job for him. Susan was working, so if he was off in the winter he could concentrate on his art then. I think maybe the struggling artist lifestyle just didn't suit Susan anymore. She had a child to think about after all. What sounds good before a child comes, doesn't always mesh with reality. Then again, Susan was thinking in practical terms when they were babybed shopping. Maybe she was never on board with the idea, but Michael wouldn't hear it. I'm just thinking about the scenario Michael described in the baby store. He would work construction until she got a job at a fancy law firm, and then she could support him. The problem was she didn't get a job at a fancy law firm. She was working at a legal clinic. There probably wasn't much pay in that kind of work, which meant Michael needed to keep working. Hmmm...