Michael Carson

A Contemporary Master of American Art

Artist Michael Carson, who began his career working as a product designer for a small gift company, has become one of the leading contemporary painters today, exhibiting at some of the top fine art galleries in America. With his popular hybrid of realism, expressionism and a hint of abstraction, his thick, nondescript backgrounds share the canvas with his vaguely representational figures. Known for his iconic, dramatic figures boasting a glamorous fashion flair, his works can be found in both private and corporate collections internationally. However, Carson is not only a painter—as in his work, there is more to discover beneath the glossy surface of this highly accomplished artist.

Youth The son of a talented interior designer, Michael spent his time surrounded by design, art materials and glossy magazines such as Architectural Digest and Vogue. Born in 1972 and raised in Minneapolis, he began drawing at a very young age. “I was often drawing figures and inventing new Muppet characters, sketching up floor plans to my ideal underground lair. I always had great tools, markers and papers at my disposal from my mom.”