Artist was raised in Durham County, England and first studied Art at grammar school, and later, Law at Newcastle University. An exchange student visit to Florida eventually led to his residency in the United States.

After a period of playing soccer and bartending, he sought direction and returned to his interest in art, producing pen and ink drawings of local restaurants for stipends or food.

A geographical cure to Wisconsin in 1979 resulted in a fortuitous visit to a used bookstore where he purchased a book on British Etchers. So engaged by this discovery, he enrolled in a printmaking course at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls and quickly created six zinc plate etchings.

It was then that the “American Dream” evolved: determined that he would be a full-time artist, and that the means to fulfill this ambition was to embark on the art fair circuit. He started with a table at a local art fair. After about three months, a modicum of success and enthusiastically producing more etchings, he decided to resign from my various part-time jobs and live the dream.

In 1986 he met and married Laura, who immediately became a full time business partner. They soon realized that our chances of success were greatly enhanced if Laura assisted in the studio and managed the details, thus allowing me to focus on printmaking. We commenced with applying to shows and assembling an annual schedule that consisted of twenty or more events. We grew our business and for the last thirty-something years have exhibited throughout the United States. I have received numerous awards, completed several corporate commissions and my work is widely collected.

My work is my own interpretation and impression of a particular location. He derives subject matter mainly from the United Kingdom and his continuing travels in Europe. The topics, which are often architectural, may not be new or even topographically correct, but he strives to obtain a fresh concept and spontaneity in the pictorial aspect of my work.

Michael chosen medium in printmaking is the metal plate. He specializes in etching, drypoint, aquatint and mezzotint. He often use a combination of all of these techniques on the same plate. Due to the indirect nature of printmaking, he does many preliminary drawings concentrating on the design, tone and draughtsmanship of the proposed print. Only then does he begin to work on the plate itself.

Michael first created pure line etchings from zinc plates and was greatly influenced by Seymour Hayden and James McNeill Whistler. He gradually introduced aquatint into my work and continued in this way for several years. He then became fascinated with the drypoint work of Muirhead Bone and Martin Lewis and have spent several years working on this difficult technique.

His current images are predominantly drypoints that start with a tonal layer of aquatint and are further enhanced by the subtle use of a roulette and mezzotint rocker. He works on both zinc and copper plates.

Michael’s ultimate aim is the print. This concept is fully expressed only when the image is transferred from the plate onto paper.

He prints all of my own work, favoring the use of sepia, browns, blue and black inks applied and blended on one plate, by hand (a la poupee), as I feel that this enhances the uniqueness of each proof.

This eBay listing is an original #24 of 75.