Born in Montreal to Dutch parents in 1951, Michael has lived and worked most of his life in Vancouver. He pursued independent studies at the University of British Columbia, Emily Carr University of Art & Design, and the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (Mexico). He taught painting and creative process at the Federation of Canadian Artists, and served on their board of directors from 1998 to 2002. Michael's work has been exhibited in public and commercial galleries in Canada, the USA and Mexico. He also operated his own gallery on Granville Island in Vancouver from 2001 to 2007. Michael’s paintings are widely held in private and corporate collections in 13 countries.