Michael has been interested in art since he was a small child, starting art classes in elementary school. An avid reader and experimenter, he has a hunger ­ and an astonishing capacity ­ to accomplish new things. Over his 12-year career in jewelry, he has worked successfully with all types of gem settings and with all metals, adept equally in casting and fabrication. He works to explore a new, rich material that is not only interesting to him as an artist, but seems certain to appeal to many people.

“Mokume patterning offers endless possibilities. It’s painting with metal,” Michael says. “I choose the palette when I form the billet. Then my burrs become brushes. A wide one makes a great swath of color, a narrow one the finest of color lines. I pattern every day, but I will never have time to make all the patterns in my head.”