Born in Flint, Michigan, Michael spent the first years of his life in the conservative Midwestern town. His college studies began at Ohio and Bowling Green State Universities, but he was soon lured to the East coast in search of a program focused solely on the arts. In 1978, he moved to Baltimore, Maryland to study at the acclaimed Maryland Institute College d Art. There he realized his passion for painting and was encouraged by his fellow artists. Michael takes an almost surreal approach to his paintings. He begins with a photograph and a very detailed view of his subjects, but then his artistry truly comes to focus. He plays on lights and shadows that mayor may not have appeared in the original photograph. Likewise, he tempers his paint to suggest the landscape he envisions, which is not necessarily the way it really is. This is exemplified most in his lively color palette.

 

Please visit Michael's Personal Web Site.