It is always interesting to go back and see how our career and interests began. My early interest in art began as a result of contracting Polio at age three. I spent eight months in an iron lung and somehow miraculously recovered. During my physical re-hab, my mother set before me my only means of recreation – paper and pencil. She said I drew endlessly.

My interest continued and I was often being driven to one art class or another. When I entered High School I was already painting watercolors and oil paintings. During High School in Phoenix, Arizona I was awarded two Gold Key Art awards and represented the visual arts in a television production titled, The Indispensables. I suppose the title inferred that we should consider art as an integral part of a healthy society.

After graduating I went to the University of Arizona in Tucson as a Fine Arts Major. Some of the instructors were good and some were very obviously tenured and bored. It did help me to broaden my art experience by taking several semesters of ceramics and sculptor and copper etching. I continued to draw and paint. I saved enough after a summer job on the East Coast and traveled to Florence, Italy to do a short semester studying art there. I immersed myself in the art and culture of both Italy and France, visiting many museums and drawing daily. Of course this was a pivotal experience for me. It certainly solidified my interest in my own art pursuits.

My wife and I were later married in Tucson, Arizona and then eventually moved to California. I began work there as both a house painter and a muralist. Later I secured a license to design and build homes and this became our principle means to earn a living for our growing family. Though I found architecture fascinating and challenging, my real passion was in painting.  Fortunately I discovered a remarkable instructor, Gifford Nicholaides and studied with him for many years.  In the backyard of our home in San Marcos I was able to build a good-sized art studio. With the convenience of a studio I was now finally able to produce serious pieces – primarily oil paintings.

Starting about 2009 my interest has been gradually shifting to larger abstract paintings. The majority of these newer paintings can be purchased as originals through the art web site.  To date I have posted 75 articles on the painting process.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Wilson