Pastel Society of New Mexico

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Growing up in St. Louis, Michael’s interest in art began at the age of 7 with a strong interest in portraiture from the beginning. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Art Education from Southeast Missouri State University. He began his career with various commercial art and art director positions, as well as illustrating for magazines, Hallmark, and advertising agencies. 

While continuing to paint and grow as an artist he maintained a long career in senior management for various publishing companies in the Chicago area. During this period he focused on improving his portrait skills by studying with renowned portrait artist, Richard Halstead in Chicago. He was also a member The Plein Air Painters of Chicago.

In 2010 he and his wife Beth decided to buy a small publishing business in New Mexico, and subsequently moved to Tijeras. This enabled him to spend more time developing his art interests. His participation in several premier juried art shows during the last 10 years have produced 19 awards that include best of show, 1st place, 2nd place, five people’s choice awards, and 12 awards for excellence. He is a member of NM Plein Air Painters, Rio Grande Art Association, NM Art league and paints weekly with a small group of plein air friends. His art objectives are to continuously improve his skills that result in paintings with more impact.