Exhibiting in select galleries, museums and institutions worldwide, Michael has been commissioned by governments, Fortune 100 corporations and private collectors, and has been exuberantly heralded in the press. Born in Denver, Colorado, Michael has been exhibiting work throughout the United States and most recently in France, where he received a residency through La Napoule Art Foundation given out only once a year. As a young artist Michael studied drawing and painting at the Art Students League of Denver. He would later attended Pratt Institute in New York right after graduating high school. Early on he focused his discipline on classical drawing and painting fundamentals, later emphasizing his studies in abstract concepts.
In 1999 Michael was the youngest artist ever to win Best of Show at Denver’s nationally renowned Cherry Creek Arts Festival. The Vance Kirkland Museum has acquired work as part of their permanent collection. Michael’s well-received public art installation, commissioned by the city of Denver, hangs permanently in Denver’s District 2 Police Station. The Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art selected Michael to be included in the museum’s Rocky Mountain Biennial.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
“I am dedicated to exploring visual elements that excite the viewer’s senses. In my work, I focus on the process and interaction of layers that become visually meaningful and rich with examination. My philosophy is simple, to be sentient through my interpretations, and make art that will challenge fundamental assumptions. Through a visual confrontation, I find tension to be the most meaningful facet of my artistic and aesthetic investigations. A context in which I am challenged to make the union of these ingredients appears intuitive and natural. My work is driven to guide the viewer into relationships between fundamentals and emotional expression, creating a language that has universality and is yet personal at the same time. For me, beauty is stretched between those elements that offer stimulating contradiction. Turning historical and figurative references in art into a contemporary dialogue of expressive interpretations. The process of making art is the conscious struggle between personal expression and the perfection that is nature. This is the backdrop of my work that I’m most interested in exploring.”
