Michael B. Karas was born in Boston in 1954. His innate artistic talent was recognized at an early age. He graduated from the New England School of Art and Design in Boston in 1975. Living and painting in Gloucester, Massachusetts until 1984, Karas and his wife left Cape Ann and traveled extensively for two years, painting the wilds of America. Returning to New England, they settled in the quaint little village of Sandy Point, Maine, where Karas continued to live and work until his recent move to the South Carolina Lowcountry, where he finds the soft mud flats and sweeping marshes a stimulating contrast to the hard, rocky coast of New England.

Karas' love for the outdoors abounds in his paintings, offering the observer the opportunity to come face to face with nature. One prime element in all of Karas' work is his use of light. Whether dramatic or subtle, his paintings are intended to evoke much beauty and truth.

Michael has received several awards for excellence in painting, and has appeared as a guest painter on John Stobart's worldscape series, which aired nationally on PBS. Over 2,000 of his paintings are included in numerous private, public and corporate collections throughout the world.