A Brief Biography



Michael was born in 1952 and raised in Livingston, a farm town located in the center of California's San Jauquin Valley. He was encouraged by his family and teachers to pursue his interest in graphic art. An enthusiastic high school art teacher gave Michael a screen printing introduction and instructions that have captivated him to this day.

He carried his interests in printmaking, painting and sculpture throughout his college studies and produced a body of work that displayed a playful interest in how art can communicate ones self awareness (poking fun at the pitfalls). In 1975 he earned a B. A. from California State University, at Stanislaus and was awarded a fellowship in sculpture from Western Michigan University. He married Rosemarye Valentine that summer, they packed up their VW's and moved to Kalamazoo. Mike produced and showed work for two years to earn a M. F. A. The work ranged from small woodcarving and castings to large contraptions that played some optometric experiments with a dose of humor.

Having enough of those Midwestern winters, they moved back to California and to the North Coast in the fall of 1977. Drawing inspiration from the scenic beauty of the area, Mike began a series of small landscapes in between various carpentry and sign jobs. Encouragement came in shows and sales in the area starting with the walls of the Jambalaya in Arcata , 1979. During the following 33 years Michael annually produced several edition while showing work throughout Northern California.

The summers of 1988-1996 were focused on creating the Humboldt County exhibit at the California State Fair. During the "90s" through 2004, Michael served as President of the Bridgeville Elementary School Board. In 2007 Michael was hired as director of the Bridgeville Community Center, working there as a community organizer and in social services through 2010.

After 35 years living in Humboldt he sold the forest property in 2013 for a move to Yachats, on the Oregon Coast.

During the past nine years, Michael has expanded his studio to include sculptured works in steel, bending wire and rod into animal and figurative shapes, depicting ephemeral swimmers that represent human intereactions in our natural world.


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