You've seen him rolling around town in his wheelchair, hanging out at the galleries or working his tail off at Grinders, a bandanna tied around his head. He's the man known only as Mott-ly, the guy who gives the young'uns a chance, either by showing their heretofore unseen work at MoMo or letting them set up their non-rent-paying radical infoshop in the space that's doing triple duty as his gallery, his home and his studio. In spite of all the attention his gallery rightfully earns, what's really amazing is what goes on in his studio -- something that anyone who caught his retrospective at the Greenlease Gallery already knows. Assembling ordinary, discarded objects in collage boxes with artistic vision and something it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call love, Mott-ly tells stories (good, bad and embarrassing) about himself and encourages viewers to make up or remember their own stories, too. His attention to detail could easily go unnoticed -- even the backs and sides of most of his boxes are adorned and treated. And yet, despite the time and energy he spends in the studio, he rarely talks about his own work. Next time you see him, demand that he start bragging. He won't do it otherwise.
