Michael grew up in Illinois and it was not until he had received his B.A. from Western Illinois University and two Masters diplomas from Illinois University that he came to South Carolina. His work has been featured in exhibits in Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida, to name a few. Over the years, he has received grants and awards for his work.
Artist’s Statement
“As a child growing up in the flatlands of Illinois, I could step outside my door and walk straight across five miles of fields and woods; something I did just to see what I could see. I realize now how important experiencing that kind of freedom and wonder was to me. Only after two graduate degrees and many years of teaching did I realize that my search for artistic identity was embedded in those moments of childhood curiosity and discovery. The connection was the Sublime; that eighteenth century aesthetic and human experience that, whether in art or life, can fill our imaginations with awe, wonder and inspiration. My understanding of the visual conditions of the Sublime provided an artistic path that gave meaning and purpose to those overwhelming experiences of life that now serve as the content of my art.”