Michael’s journey in art started at an early age when he was in grade school. While Michael was in high school he won a Key Award for Jewelry Design, from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

His interest in glass began in 1995, leading him to Seattle, Washington. There he took classes with Daryl Smith and Aaron Thane Tate, two of Seattle's up and coming glass artists of that time. Shortly thereafter, Michael studied and worked with glass for five years at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York.