One-of-a-kind artwork and supplies worth thousands of dollars were stolen from an art studio in North Park.
It is especially devastating for the artist, Mikee Arise, because he was homeless just six months ago and creating art was his livelihood.
"I've been on the streets for a long time myself so I've kind of just propelled myself through my art and just trying to make an honest living," he said.
A few weeks ago, Arise's art studio was robbed.
"I had the round locks on it and they just totally broke the hardware and got in," Arise said.
Arise had rented the workspace for just a month when he came to work on his art and found next to nothing.
"I had canvasses and everything right here, I had canvases and my finished work over here," he said as he showed NBC 7.
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"I make my own glue from scratch with flour and sugar. I glue comics to canvas and do my art over the top with spray paint and paint pen," Arise added. "Just on one stencil I spend anywhere from 15 to 20 hours and sometimes even longer, depending on the detail and everything."
Art is Arise’s passion but it's also how he made an income. Money he makes from selling his art puts a roof over his head.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Arise get some more art supplies: https://www.gofundme.com/artist-theft-relief-fund
He can also be contacted by emailing: skysthelimitarise@gmail.com
