Mike Nicholson is a multi faceted individual with broad and wide ranging interests. Mike enjoys fine art immensely and takes every opportunity to visit museums and galleries during his many travels. He has found inspiration from Alaska to Florida, California to Maine, as well as throughout Europe. Mike very much enjoys studying the old masters and holds Albrecht Dürer among his most favorite. Mike has also developed a deep appreciation of more contemporary artists such as Hopper, Wyeth, Dali and Pollock.
    Mike discovered mural painting in the 1990's and has completed numerous commissions since. While Mike studies muralists such as Diego Rivera, Thomas Hart Benton and Richard Haas, one of his contemporary favorites is John Pugh. John has been gracious enough to host Mike in his studio on several occasions.
    Early in Mike's career, a particular style of murals called Trompe L'Oeil caught his eye. The optical illusions created by the trompe l'Oeil technique can be seen in several of Mike's posted works. Mike still takes the occasional commission but these are rare. Refer to this site's gallery for examples of his work.
    Mike has also built a wonderful library of art books. He likes scrounging through used book stores and flea markets looking for that next great find. Mike's collection contains some rare and old books. One such coffee table book is a second printing of "The Work of Andrew Wyeth", printed in 1968. These books serve as both inspiration and instruction, and Mike is quick to loan his collection to others who share his love of the arts and artists.
    Mike has also spent 25 years in the Information Technology field. He has expressed his creativity through software development, engineering, as well as customer and account management. More recently Mike has turned his attention to learning the craft of digital media. He enjoys working on his Apple Mac's using both PhotoShop and Final Cut video editor. On other fronts Mike donates his time and talents to his community in the form of graphic arts and web design and development.