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In the summer of 2000, Mike headed to Mongolia for
a Peace Corps assignment in the small northern mountain town of Zuunhaara.
During the long winter days and nights, temperatures hovered near
-30°F for weeks on end. When not teaching in the local school,
he taught himself how to paint using the whitewashed walls of his
home as a canvas and paint from the local market as his medium. Two years later, the entire apartment was covered in murals and various other objects decorated with paint. He returned to the United States where he continues to experiment with various media. His themes explore the natural world and a sense of wonder that sometimes gets pushed into the back of the adult mind. Mike has worked as an environmental educator with the Audubon Society of Portland for the past five years. He draws inspiration from his time spent outdoors in the mountains, on the coast, and in the woods teaching children. For the past 12 years, when not in Mongolia, he has called Portland, Oregon home. He has lived in Michigan, India, Nepal, and Mongolia. Currently, he is relocating to Vermont with his wife and their dog after a journey to Turkey and Greece. |