Michael Matheson was born and raised in Santa Barbara where he began his love of the arts and his passion for creating. His devotion to the arts became woven into his life as he drew inspiration from his grandmother’s artistic influence as well as his surroundings and community.

At an early age he carried with him a pencil and a sketchbook wherever he would go.  He traveled around the United States, advancing his skills and interest in fine arts and illustration. His desire to travel and explore life has left him with an incredible experience. His influences are the things he surrounds himself with such as, history, people that inhabit it, surrealism, abstraction, Americana, anthropology and gemology. These are some of the things he draws creativity from and is continuously a part of his visual vocabulary. Michael finds motivation with many mediums such as watercolors, oil, and acrylic, spray paint, and just about any thing in arms reach when caught in the moment of creating. He prefers to work on material such as wood, paper, metal and even fiberglass. Printmaking and etchings are also some of his passions.

After studying printmaking exclusively at Santa Barbara City College, he decided to pursue a formal education in the Arts. He attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Ca. During his years at the Art Center, he had won scholarships, awards and recognition. During the year of 2008, Michael Matheson graduated with honors.

Since then, he has lived and worked as an artist in Los Angeles for about 8 years and recently has returned to Santa Barbara. Here he works as a freelance artist. Currently, his work has been shown in galleries, magazines, newsletters and blogs. To further expand his mixed medium practice, he will also be creating a series of works incorporating traditional print making techniques. Michael continually challenges himself to progress with the times and find his voice in this visually saturated world.