I was 18 years old when I decided I wanted to be an artist.

            Michael Vires  was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1947. He had been drawing since childhood and had retained that natural curiosity through his teen years.  It was during that last summer spent in his hometown, before joining the US Army in 1967, that he met Alfred Domene, a masterful portrait painter, whose studio was in Lexington.

                When I stood before one of Mr. Domene’s portraits I actually found myself leaning close and checking to see if the subject was breathing.  His paintings went far beyond realism.  They were truly life-like.  It was then that I understood what could be done with paint and canvas.  That’s when I realized what I wanted to do with my art.

                Michael Vires  knows he is a true artist.  He has been driven for many years and has overcome many obstacles by his single passion to create paintings that breathe with this life-like quality.  Michael has no illusions about arriving at a station.  His philosophy is one of being in a perpetual state of learning.

                A musician knows that by constantly practicing scales, he will always be in touch with, and receptive to the basics, the foundation of any piece he will ever play. As an artist and painter, I know, no matter what the subject matter, the basics, such as line, rhythm, composition, values and color are the tools always at hand that I use to breathe life into my work.  However, at the same time it is important for me to keep in touch with the idea that my Art is an ongoing attainment of one plateau after another. There is no mountaintop where you finally reach a destination.  There are always higher levels of attainment that I want to keep in sight so that I never become bored or stagnant.

                Michael Vires  is a self-taught painter.  His work is definitely realistic, yet the influence of the impressionists are also evident.  He manages to merge these two schools and bond them with his passion for conveying an energy that speaks to the viewer’s soul.  It is difficult to ignore a Vires painting.

                After his three-year tour in the US Army,  Michael moved to Austin, Texas where he supported himself and his family as a commercial painter in the construction business.  In his free time he continued to pursue and improve his craft as a Fine Arts Painter, painting many portraits and Texas Hill Country landscapes.  He relocated to Cape Coral, Florida in 1996 after his two sons were raised.  He opened a studio and began painting fulltime as a professional artist.  Since July 2002 he resides in Port Charlotte.

                Michael has taught art, and his work has been exhibited in National, State and Local competitions, winning many ribbons and awards.  He is also heavily involved in the Arts Community of Charlotte County.  He has spent the majority of the past ten years working as a commission artist.  His murals, landscapes and portraits can be found in private collections all across America, including Hawaii.

                Michael’s  most recent recognition was the Bowles Award of Excellence in the Faces and Figures Exhibition at the Visual Art Center in Punta Gorda, October 2006.