Mike Shea grew up in Dallas, Texas and then left as soon as he could. As was often drawled there; "if you're lookin' fer culture, check the dairy section of the local Piggly Wiggly". Mike's paintings, done in acrylic on home made wood panels, are a mixture of surrealistic tendencies and a fascination with how interior and exterior realities are often diamentrically opposed. The paintings utilize collage, glazes sanding, drawing and various painting techniques.

Inspirations come from Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Durer, The Book of Hours, Chris Carter and Philip Guston to name a few. African, Asian, Aztec, Mayan and islander art also inform.

Mike is 40 and has been drawing since he was a child though he has never shown any of his work prior to this year. In 1991 he received a BFA in Traditional Printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute. He also attended UT Austin and Otis Parsons Los Angeles.

Currently Mike works and resides in the greater Santa Clara, Utah vicinity.