Born and raised in Bountiful, Utah, he Michael Albrechtsen is a painter whose vivid, atmospheric landscapes reflect his Mormon heritage of respecting the order, serenity, and inspirational value of nature--of "bringing out some of the beauty God has created". He credits Richard Schmid as being one of his greatest influences but did not begin painting until 1989 and has had little time to be a totally dedicated fine artist. In 1997, he won two awards in the Arts For the Parks competition.
He showed early art talent and was encouraged by his mother who enrolled him in summer art classes. He studied biology at the University of Utah but disliked the math so he dropped out and served two years as a Mormon missionary in Thailand. He began painting landscape scenes there, and after returning to the United States, worked in a sign shop and took technical drafting at Weber State University in Ogden.
He married and then earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Utah State University. He began his art career as a book illustrator followed by a job with Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a resident of Olathe, Kansas.
Courtesy of askart.com
