Harris Sparrow Print

Mike Ross’ first interest in art started when he was very young on the farm in rural Iowa where he grew up. Mike grew up loving nature, particularly, the indigenous wildlife of the immediate area and the bird life which migrated through the flyway. After living in several different locations across the west while moving up the corporate ladder, he settled down in Denver, Colorado. Through this process, beginning with adolescence, Mike graduated from pencil and paper to oils in the early years of his education where he experimented in different applications and presentations of subject matter. Photography, which he is world renown, has provided a valuable tool in the development of the painting and his growth as an artist. Hunting, fishing, nature photography and painting are his main hobbies and these interests have provided an excellent foundation for the understanding of wildlife interaction and transformation of inspiration to canvas. Mike’s paintings lean toward the presentation of the subject animal interfacing with the surroundings through interactions with its neighbors. The colors tend to be soft tones of browns, ochre and whites with the presentation of the animal up close. Most of his subjects tend to be big animals with accompanying indigenous birds or rodents interacting with each other. Most of his works are large canvas presentations to give the full effect of the transformation. His work has received exceptional reviews from those who have experienced it. His work has been displayed in National Geographic, Ducks Unlimited, U. S. Forest Service, Internet Bird Collection books and several text books used in Universities in Russia, Germany, Canada and UK. Mike Ross