Michael Hall

I was born in College Station, Texas and raised in Utah, Texas, Montana, California, and Alberta, Canada.

My mom encouraged me to draw and paint from a young age, being an artist herself. I also spent some time in the studio of my great-uncle and noted sculptor, Avard T. Fairbanks, which had a tremendous impact on me as a young boy.

As a teenager, I spent countless hours drawing and copying works from old masters, mainly Michelangelo. I even tried to figure out how to paint frescos on my own, and filled the concrete walls in my parents’ basement with fresco paintings.   

I lived in St. Petersburg, Russia, for a few years and was greatly influenced by the works in the Hermitage and the Russian Museum, which I visited on a regular basis. It was at this time that I decided that I wanted to be a professional artist. I studied drawing and painting in Russia for a short time as well.

The bulk of my education came from studying for several years with Swiss painter Patrick Devonas, who currently runs a school in Switzerland. For me, this was a turning point in my career as an artist, because with Patrick’s help and encouragement, I began to pursue sculpture full-time.

I would say that I am a self-taught sculptor, but the reality is that I have been trained by some of the greatest sculptors that the world has ever seen through studying their works and reading about their lives and methods.

I briefly studied sculpture and the art of marble carving in Pietrasanta, Italy, and it is my deepest hope to someday carve a multi-figure piece in marble.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.