Art Profile



I graduated from Silver Lake College in Manitowoc Wisconsin June, 1989 with a degree in Communications Graphics and an emphasis in Fine Arts.  I worked a summer as a starving artist in Green Bay , Wis. doing t-shirt sketches for the apparel industry, making $25 a sketch.  I freelanced for several agencies in Green Bay and Milwaukee Wis. to gain experience during my first years out of school.   I eventually began freelancing for Stalltactics (a indoor billboard company in Milwaukee.)  My boss John and Patty Mueller soon became close friends and I moved to Florida in 1994 to manage their start up advertising business.  I ran the business for 6 months and then bought them out in Florida.  I ran the new business for two years and then sold out to my partner.  My love has always been in illustration and fine art, but my advertising years have served me well in every endeavor I've taken on. 



See more original art on my art page   

When I began kayaking in 1996 the natural beauty inspired me to commit these adventures to paper first in my sketch book then in fine art.  Ebay first offered me an outlet to sell drawings and expanded my market while exhibiting at a few kayaking symposiums and shops around the country.  Among them are:
 Charleston Sea Kayaking Symposium
 South West Florida Sea Kayaking Symposium
 Sweetwater Kayaks 
Bill Jackson's Shop for Adventure

A few of the Who's Who in Kayaking have signed and also purchased my art,
including the famous Nigel Foster.


Several kayaking clubs have displayed my Carolina Mike's World pen and ink cartoons including the Tampa Bay Sea Kayakers (voted best Kayaking Club in the America in 2005)

Thanks for viewing my profile,

I am open for commissioned art for your personal use, website or club by calling Mike at: 727-235-1959
or emailing me at: birdygbf@tampabay.rr.com