Message From Gary:
“Not wanting to go to my grave wondering if I could be an artist, I resigned a professorship of philosophy and went at it. Forty years later I’m still at it and, at times, still wondering. It’s been a fun and frustrating ride. If nothing else, I’ve learned to deal with rejection. Also with all kinds of students from having taught workshops, plein air and studio, in several states and Mexico, and served on the faculties of the Art Students League and the Plein Air Convention in Monterey. Love teaching!
Climbed 53 of CO’s 54 Fourteeners and find the mountains an ongoing source of ideas. Nepal, a high country heaven I visited three times, was the zenith of compelling subject matter, especially the people. Still it’s always nice to come home to the Colorado Rockies, though I do wish we could replace everything between Denver and Kansas with an ocean. Maybe I should suggest it to the governor.
Born in Denver and live there still — half a block from where I grew up. Hope to be buried in the backyard, though no time soon.”
Biography
Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Gary started drawing as a child. He attended college on a tennis scholarship, and went on to earn multiple postgraduate degrees and become a university professor before retiring from academia to pursue his passion for painting.
Although he continues to consider Denver his home, Gary divides his time between Colorado and such diverse locations as Mexico, Nepal and Europe. He has earned acclaim as a mountain climber, author and public speaker (http://www.drgarymichael.com). Art collectors prize both his landscapes and figurative work.
Gary makes his work available for galleries, private purchase, image reproduction, and commissions. He prefers commissions where the client wants the artist’s vision to influence the painting rather than the photographic reproduction of a scene or person. His original paintings range from $400 to $12,000.
Gary’s Books
Gary is also a published author, learn more about his published books Here
All of these books are available for sale through Gary, you can contact him here if you are interested in purchasing one or all of them.
A Bargain Minister
Gary is an ordained minister and customizes every wedding ceremony to the specific taste and values of the bride and groom. So if you want a wedding ceremony that embodies your ideas and wishes then A Bargain Minister is your perfect choice as your wedding officiant.
A Little More About Gary
Education:
Pomona College
Denver University, BA
Colorado University, MA
University of Chicago, Divinity School
University of Syracuse, PhD
Individual instruction from:
Ned Jacob, Pawel Kontny, William Sharer, David Leffel, Burt Silverman
Workshops attended:
Richard Schmid, Buffalo Kaplinski, Robert Wood, Sergei Bongart, Mario Cooper
Selected Museums & Private Collections:
- The Harmsen Collection in the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado
- The Western Colorado Center For The Arts, Grand Junction, Colorado
- Stroh Family Collection, Colorado
- Moncton Public Library, Quebec, Canada
One-Person Shows:
- “Came, Saw,Painted” at Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, 2014
- Saks Gallery, Denver
- Western Colorado Art Museum, Grand Junction, CO
- Savageau Gallery, Denver
- Park Place Gallery, San Angelo, TX
- Pratt Community College, Pratt, KS
- Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado
Juried & Invitational Shows:
- All Colorado Art Exhibition, Denver
- Belleli Gallery, Denver
- Denver Botanic Gardens Exhibition, Denver
- Honoring the Colorado Capitol Dome, 2014
- International Association of Pastel Societies, Denver
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver
- Museum of Fine Art, Colorado Springs, CO
- Museum of the Hudson Highlands, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY
- Pastel Society of America, New York
- Rocky Mountain National Park 75th Anniversary, Boulder, CO
- Rocky Mountain Water Media, Golden, CO
- Senator Michael Bennet’ s Washington Office Exhibition of Colorado Artists
- Vanier & Roberts, Ltd., Scottsdale, AZ
- Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Denver: Five Colorado Landscape Painters
Books Listed In:
- American Artists, 1985
- Contemporary Western Artists, 1982
- Davenport’s Art Reference, 2004
- New York Art Review
- Southwestern Art – Master Index – 1971-1993
- The Artist’s Blue Book, 2004
- Who’s Who in American Art, 1986
- Who’s Who in American Art, 1993-1994
- Who’s Who in American Art, 2003-2004
-
The Landscape Artist’s Drawing Bible, Chartwell Books, London
Work Featured in:
- Periodicals:
- American Art Collector
- American Artist
- Art & Artists
- Art Show News
- Art Voices
- Art West
- Artists & Illustrators
- Colorado Homes and Lifestyles
- Colorado Monthly (cover)
- Colorado Quarterly
- Contemporary Western Artist
- Craft Range
- Denver Post
- Palette Talk
- Pastel Artist International
- Plein Air [read article]
- Revue
- Rocky Mountain News
- Southwest Art
- Southwest Art magazine, Nov 2015 issue.
- The Artist’s Magazine
- Today’s Art & Graphics
- Western Art Collector
- Books:
- Drawing Lessons, Quarto, 2003
- Learning from the Pros (Watson-Guptill)
- Model, Nederlandstalige, 2003 (cover art)
- One Hundred Great Pastel Tips (Batsford Ltd, London)
- Painting Shapes & Edges
- The Artist’s Bible (Barnes & Noble)
- The Encyclopedia of Drawing Techniques
- The Gold Book
- Tonal Values (North Light)
Awards
- Featured Artist of Art Cocoon online magazine – 2018
- Art Cocoon – Revisiting Featured Artist Gary Michaels – 2020
Workshops and Classes Taught:
- Art Students League, Denver
- Camp Laforet, Carbondale, CO
- Casa Feliz Workshops, Taos, NM
- Colorado Institute of Art
- Denver Art Museum
- Emory and Henry College, VA
- Mendocino Art Center, CA
- Rocky Mountain School of Design
- Tulsa Art Association, Tulsa, OK
- Allied Artists of Nebraska, North Platte, NE
- Museum of Western History, Denver
- Oklahoma Speakers Association, Stroud, OK
- Pastel Society of Texas, Dallas, TX
- Pratt Community College, Pratt, KS
- Sedona Art Workshops, Sedona, AZ
- Wyoming Art Association, Casper, WY
- Flying Colors Workshops, Acapulco and Oaxaca, Mexico
-
Plein Air Convention, Monterey, CA
Work Reproduced By:
- American Art Collector
- Jannes Fine Art Publishing, Chicago – six images as prints
- Leanin’ Tree – three images on greeting cards
- Western Art Collector