Meet the face behind the artwork!

Michael’s passion for art began in childhood with photography. Starting with a box camera, he enjoyed capturing daily life in his hometown of Nutley, NJ. As his skills matured, he turned his box camera in for a 35mm SLR camera, developing black and white images and cultivating an appreciation for light. A college course in northern renaissance art drew him to the paintings of the Dutch Masters. Graduate school, medical school, advanced research, and clinical training led to a career in academic medicine. 

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On a trip to a cancer science meeting in Leiden, Michael visited an exhibition of fijnshilders (fine painters), which reignited his passion for art. The works of Dutch Master, Frans van Mieris, reminded Michael of a painting by contemporary artist, Alex Gnidziejko, which he had seen on a family trip in a Vermont gallery. Michael contacted Alex and commissioned a portrait of his wife and himself. A friendship developed and Michael's journey in painting launched. Since 2008, Michael has been studying with Alex Gnidziejko in Camden Maine. He has learned a technique used by Dutch Masters in the 16th and 17th centuries employing egg tempera emulsion and oil glazes.