Michael Graves is a nationally-recognized landscape artist based in central Massachusetts. As a plein air artist, Graves paints on location, braving the elements, to capture the many moods and temperaments of the natural world. Over a 30-year career, Graves has received over 70 awards and medals, been featured in a variety of books and publications, and inducted into numerous national art associations.
Although Graves has taken painting trips throughout North America, parts of Europe, and Asia, his favorite subjects continue to be of the simple farms, bucolic vistas, and rugged coasts of his native New England. His artwork is and has been exhibited in dozens of galleries throughout the U.S. and is included in the permanent collection of the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, OH. His paintings have also been selected eight times for inclusion in the national Arts for the Parks competition of the Top 100 Paintings of National Parks.
Born in 1952, the son of a local tree warden, Graves grew up with a love of painting and a deep appreciation for the outdoors. In the late 1970s, Graves met the renowned Cape Ann artist Bernard Corey (1914-2000). Corey became a lifelong friend and mentor and the two painted together nearly every day for over two decades. Michael Graves is a member of the Rockport Art Association, the Hudson Valley Art Association, the Old Lyme Art Association and the Guild of Boston Artists. He is a friend and frequent painting companion of some of the most well known plein air artists of New England.
Mike lives in Millbury, Massachusetts with his wife Pam. He has two sons.