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Michael K. Paxton was born in Huntington, West Virginia, in 1953, the son of fifth generation West Virginians Emerald and Pauline. He grew up in Logan, Raleigh and Wayne Counties in West Virginia and graduated from Vinson High School in 1971. He received a B. A. in Art from Marshall University in 1975 and a MFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Georgia in 1979. In 1981, while still in Athens Georgia, Michael had a one-person show at the N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago and was a visiting artist at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago at the same time. He moved to Chicago 1983 where he has maintained a studio and resides with is wife of 26 years Jeanne Nemcek.

Michael's recent shows and honors include: a one-person show of paintings and drawings titled "Alpestrine" at Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago; an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Award in Visual Arts 2009; being selected to complete three, large wall drawings, titled "Dragline", each approximately 9 ft. x 18 ft. for the four-person show titled "blank place" at the Averill and Bernard Leviton A + D Gallery of Columbia College, Chicago, with a catalog produced by the college accompanying the exhibition with essays by Rael Jero Salley and Jennifer Murray being; being named by the Mid Atlantic Foundation and the Delaware Division of the Arts to be a panelist for the Individual Artist Fellowships in the discipline of Visual Arts: Works on Paper; being selected to take part in the Open Studio for a month as part of the Special Projects for the Public Art Program, Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago; a one-person show "The Hidden", featuring large drawings on canvas at the Crown Center Gallery at Loyola University, Chicago; being selected for publication in New American Paintings by Carl Belz, Director Emeritus of the Rose Museum of Brandeis University; a one-person show of wall-size charcoal on paper drawings, "The Perfume of Shadows," that was presented at gescheidle Gallery, Chicago; and a one-person show, Axis Z, at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston, IL. Michael also had four major one-person and numerous group shows with Byron Roche Gallery, Chicago, as well numerous group exhibitions at Art Chicago.

Michael's traveling installation titled "From Enoch to Strange Creek," which deals with his family's long history in Clay and Braxton Counties of West Virginia has been featured at the Chicago Cultural Center; Muskegon Museum of Art, Michigan; Miami University Museum of Art, Oxford, Ohio; Laura Mesaros Gallery, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia and the Stifel Fine Arts Center, Wheeling, West Virginia.

Michael's work has been featured in many one-person and invitational group exhibitions across the country. His awards include grants from the Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation, Illinois Arts Council, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, being juror and exhibition designer for Union Images 2000, Chicago Cultural Center and being selected for "Art and Soul," a coffee table size book that features 50 of the most noted people in the arts from West Virginia.

Michael's major commissions include a 4-ft. by 16-ft. mural for the 7th District Federal Reserve bank Vice President's conference room in Chicago and a 72-ft. mural that runs the total circumference of Jensen Metal Products corporate headquarters, Inc. of Racine, Wisconsin.

Michael is an Adjunct Instructor in drawing and painting in the Fine Art Department, of Columbia College, Chicago and over his long career has been featured as a visiting artist at several colleges and university. A noted public speaker he has given numerous lectures on his work, as well as being featured on radio and television, 30 years of reviews have appeared in major newspapers, and national art journals. Michael's work is included in a long list of public, private and corporate collections.