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 Masters 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 17th century employing egg tempera emulsion and oil glazes. Michael continues his studies online with The Teaching Studios of Art in New York and the Vitruvian Fine Art Studio in Chicago.