Michael J. Downs is an award-winning artist whose work can be seen in private collections across North America, Asia, and Europe. His impressionist paintings have appeared in major galleries in Seattle, Santa Fe, Charleston, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Whistler, and Banff. Michael is highly recognized for his portraiture work and he has been featured in articles and on the covers of Artist Magazine and Southwest Art. Over the years, Michael has developed a passion for art education, and divides his time between teaching and plein air painting. “Painting is like learning a new language. You have to learn to see things objectively and intuitively instead of conceptually.”— Michael J. Downs