ÿþvar1=I was born in the second half of the last century. Sounds antique and indeed antiques have been my great obsession during a sheltered youth which I spent in Austria in the Tyrolean Mountains and the countryside near Vienna. I read all I could find about the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Persia, Hellas, Rome and the Far East. When I graduated from school I endeavoured to see all these places and so travelled extensively, even to the remote Himalayas. Seeing all these marvels of culture and nature I developed another obsession - pictures. I wanted to materialize my thoughts, experiences and inner visions through paintings. Thus started my career as a freelance painter.Working sometimes with a group of other artists or alone in my´hermitage´studio I was driven over the last 20 years to do one painting after another. Today I do exhibitions of my artwork regularely, and fans, friends and collectors have made it possible to follow my visions to the present day. Recently I have settled in the north of Portugal on the banks of the river Minho near the Atlantic Ocean. This website is created to present a selection of my artwork, and I do hope that you enjoy this journey through the visual world of Michael MAHESH Schallhart