Born in Ayr in 1959, Michael graduated from the Edinburgh College of Art in 1983. After graduating, he worked for the BBC in Glasgow before moving to London in 1989, to work as a freelance art director and illustrator. During this time he continued to paint, building up a strong following for his work and selling successfully. He returned to Scotland with his wife and family in 1999, making the move to become a full time artist. Since returning to Scotland Michael's career as an artist has gone from strength to strength and he was awarded membership to the Paisley Art Institute in 2012, the RSW in 2014 and the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts in 2023. He currently works from his studio overlooking the Rover Doon.
Beautifully minimalist, Michael's paintings follow the Colourist tradition, taking scenes from everyday life and painting them in rich palette and bold contrasting tones. Much of his inspiration comes from his travels in France and Italy, depicting busy café and street scenes, although still lifes also feature heavily in his work, whether it be flowers or his infamous little black dresses. Perfectly capturing shadow and light, Michael also incorporates complex layering of perspective in his work, capturing these moments in paint and generating an innate sense of nostalgia.
'My paintings are often inspired by a fleeting moment, just a snap shot. For the photographer the picture is captured in a fraction of a second, whilst for me, as a painter, the work has just begun.
My subjects are often everyday. I want to strip each painting down to the minimum, to say everything in a pared down way, but still hint at the warm day, the richness of the building, the scene being played out.'
Artists