Genre: Plein Air Painting

Mike Kowalski's paintings draw inspiration from the natural surroundings of Shoreham and the cityscapes of Melbourne, Australia. He paints from observation, sketching in charcoal, oil, and watercolor to capture the moods and images of the natural and built world around him, preferring to paint outdoors. Born and raised in California, Mike started entering art shows as a teen and eventually earned a BFA from Utah State University. He lived and worked as an illustrator in California and lived on Marrowstone Island, Washington, for many years before moving to Australia permanently in 2014. Mike has been invited to many of the major plein air events in the USA, including Easton Plein Air, Sonoma Plein Air, Sedona Plein Air, Zion National Park Plein Air Invitational, Door County Plein Air Festival, and Pacific Northwest Plein Air Invitational. Plein Air awards include "Artists Choice" at Sonoma Plein Air and 1st place at the Pacific Northwest Plein Air Invitational. Mike also garnered 2nd and 3rd place wins at PCPA over the years. Recently, Mike won 1st place for his painting "Saw Mill" at the Cape Ann plein air competition. Mike won the Silver Medal of Honor at the 148th AWS International Exhibition in New York. Most recently won awards at the 100th National Watercolor Society International Exhibition and the Past Presidents Awards from NWS. At the 2026 Camberwell Art Show in Melbourne, Mike won “Best traditional painting”. Locations of exhibitions of his watercolors include Australia, Italy, Greece, Japan, Russia, and the United States. Mike has been a consecutive exhibitor in the prestigious Fabriano Biennial, Fabriano, Italy. Mike's work is influenced by John Singer Sargent, Emile Kosa Jr, Maynard Dixon, and Australian artists Harold Herbert and Ivor Hele. His work is included in books and magazine articles, and Mike's painting "Fresh Juice" was used as the cover art for Plein Air Magazine's July 2022 issue.

Publications include:
“Masters of Watercolor” by Konstantine Sterkhov,
“Working with Color”- Share Blaukopf,
“Understanding Light”-Katie Woodward,
“A Penchant for Plein Air”-John Parks-Watercolor Artist Magazine
“Using Shadows to your advantage”-Plein Air Magazine

Signature Memberships: AWS, NWS, SDWS