Mike McGovern was born in 1973 in Cape Town, South Africa. He left South Africa in 1991 to escape compulsory military service, which was used to support the apartheid regime.

He went to live in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, where he spend the better part of eight years. While a monastic, much of his time was spent studying Buddhist philosophy, serving the community and engaging in meditation practices.

He came to the United States in 2006 to study with a Zen Master, met his wife and now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Philosophy:

Mike explains,

"Art has always been an important part of my life, a way to record things that I like and are important to me and that I can't do in the same way using words."

"I am interested in capturing the atmosphere of a subject using color and texture. The process of doing this is as important to me thee days as the result. I rely on a combination of observation to understand possiblities and spontaneity so that my work is loose, free and joyful. I went through a period of doing paintings that I liked as a final product but seemed tedious to create—I have scrapped this approach and now paint for the delight of creation and play."

For more information, please visit www.artbymcgovern.com

Mike also does commissions. If interested, please contact him at artbymcgovern@gmail.com