Art by Sharon Michael

                                                   Old Gray Mare Studio

As an only child growing up on a remote ranch in Montana, my playmates were the ranch animals and I learned to entertain myself early in life. Long Montana winters inhibited outside play time, so when I ran out of books to read, I wrote my own stories and illustrated them. I was entirely self-taught, with my first "instruction book" my grandfather's book "Trails Plowed Under" by Charles Russell.

My first portraits were with school pencils on school tablets and graphite remains one of my favorite mediums, although I now work in pastels and colored pencils as well as graphite and the Internet has now introduced me to many new projects.

Memorial portraits like the one above have always been a very satisfying endeavor for me, a loving reminder of favorite companions that have given so much happiness and are waiting for us at the rainbow bridge.