Michael Boss is a native of Kansas, and most probably was born with a paintbrush in his right hand.

His earliest art reflects the same expression as today.... A wide range of subjects from touchable man-made creations, to magnificent international backdrops of today and yesteryear, and further out to the allure of the stars and deep space. Mike's formative years were filled with highly unimaginative grade school, highly imaginative writings, plastic model kits, some television and movies, but most of all, many of the illustrators of the fifties and sixties.

The brilliant men and women writing for Little Golden Books, Treasure Books, Whitman, and others brought visions of characters dreamed up from both fact and fiction. The gifted illustrators brought those characters to colorful life, inspiring millions of children to live, grow, and succeed by reaching out and following their dreams. Influential talent who fired Michael's synapses were Jo Kotula, British painter Terence Cuneo and most of all, Los Angeles illustrator, Jack Leynnwood.
After graduating from high school, Boss majored in his other life's passion, music. For several years he had kept an article from Private Pilot magazine, and rereading it, decided to touch base with his soon-to-be mentor. While a music major and double bass player at Southern Illinois University, Michael called his childhood hero, Jack Leynnwood.

Following Leynnwood's practice, Mike continues to paint a full spectrum of aviation, space, rail, marine, landscapes, etc., never to be trenched into just one or two genres.

A unique aspect to all of Mike's works is the personal connection he gains for each painting through extensive research. His attention to detail is reflected in every facet, from period costumes and colors, right down to direction and time-of-day lighting. Each painting has a story of its own, as seen through the annals of history and through the eyes of the man who holds the brush.

The only thing fonder to Michael's heart than the canvas and his music was Buckwheat, his late and beloved toy poodle, who can still be found, if you look very carefully, hanging out somewhere in all of his paintings.