Born in Cleveland, Michael Babyak left Ohio at 16 to travel, and has lived in numerous places throughout the US, as well as in Europe where he served in the US military. At the end of his service, he returned to Ohio where he graduated from the University of Cincinnati, Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor’s degree in Ballet. He began his 10-year career as a dancer with the Cincinnati Opera and performed with various regional ballet companies until 1992 and where he met his wife. Upon retiring from dance, he made a career of what had, until then, been a part-time passion – painting.

In 1993 Michael moved to New York City and supported himself solely through the sale of his paintings. He has exhibited work in several national juried shows, including Emerging Visions in Los Angeles, National Works on Paper at St. John’s University in New York and the 3 Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh. He has done scenic design for ballet as well as having had his work televised on the WB Network’s Jamie Foxx Show. He is the recipient of the Critic’s Pick Award from Manhattan Arts International Magazine, as well as numerous awards from juried art shows throughout the USA. Michael has been commissioned to create large-scale paintings for Lucky Strike Lanes as well as the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Michael Babyak’s work has evolved from realist figurative images in oils, acrylics and charcoals, to abstraction and realism, primarily in acrylic. Often there is a sense of movement to his work, whether the subject be animate or inanimate, which can be attributed to his background in dance and music. His paintings are a direct reflection of an exploration of feelings about both the physical and imagined worlds, resulting in work which possesses an intangible aspect that somehow strikes a familiar note.

Michael resides in Arizona with his wife Melissa.