The Artist Next Door: Skatchface

For someone with an artistic tempest inside his head, Mike “Skatchface” Long is a mellow dude. Art is not what he does — it’s how he lives. Long grew up skating with the older kids in Poughkeepsie, developed his style and became low-key but well-known, especially among the tight-knit street art crowd. The latest issue of Newburgh-based hardcore punk ’zine Outsider devoted a spread to his work. A storefront he painted in Miami was included in Mana Public Arts: Murals by Leading Street Artists from Around the World, published in December.  Last summer he moved to Beacon and calibrated his living circumstances well. He works at a modest home studio, his sons attend school nearby and one of his gigs is across the street. He just landed a job in New Windsor painting sets for Broadway shows, which he prefers to commuting to New York City. “Here, artists are taken seriously,” he says of Beacon. “You can be creative and make a living; it’s not a pipe dream.” Skatchface with his painting, “Uncle Scram” (Photo by M. Ferris) At 43, he is at a turning point. He still bombs around on a skateboard but sometimes his back flares up. His...