About Me

Art, like life, is a continuing study in contrasts. Good and evil. The sacred and the profane. Beauty and the grotesque. The kitschy and the profound. Civilizations since time immemorial have debated the relative merits of these concepts and their place in society, and in these postings, I’m ready to wade into the muddy waters of modern culture and wallow in the slop and roses that tug at my boots.
My name is Michael G. Stewart, and I’m a 3rd generation photographer and artist living in the suburbs of the Nation’s Capitol. Since I can remember, I’ve always created visual images, and I’ve been fortunate enough to actually earn a living doing what I love for almost 40 years. I got my start as a graphic artist for the local Board of Education while still in high school, and after a stint at The Maryland Institute of Art (MICA) I went on to a 28 year career as an architectural and aerial photographer. Nothing more exciting that hanging out of a helicopter or slogging through the tunnels of a subway system under construction to show you a bit of visual contrast!
During those years, I continued to indulge my love and passion for music, both as the lead guitar player in psychedelic bands like Electric Tibet and The Suburban Bushmen, but more importantly as the photographer and designer of album covers. Now, many years later, I can count credits on over 250 album and CD covers, either as photographer or designer, or both. My output ranges from work for jazz players like Gene Bertoncini, Joe Negri and Pat Martino to folk and bluegrass mainstays such as Tom Paxton, Frank Wakefield and Michael Doucet, children’s music by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, Barry Louis Polisar and every genre in between, from Tommy Emmanuel to the Oriole’s Rick Dempsey, from Eek A Mouse to Larry Coryell.
These days, when I’m not working as a contract photographer for the Hirshhorn Museum or doing various corporate and studio work, I can be found shooting images for The National Endowment for the Arts, The National Council for the Traditional Arts and The Embassy of Finland.
…….but, on these pages, you’ll see a lot of my other visual passions- The Vanishing American Roadside, dramatic portraiture, Diners, classic automobiles, motorcycles, guitars, cute little kittens, and of course, plenty of old neon! So sit back, take a look and enjoy the ride.
More of my work and professional contact may be made at my website at www.michaelgstewart.com