Michael Pracht grew up in the foothills of southwestern Virginia.  He is the oldest of six children, all of whom were reared by a single mother of poor education and meager worldly possessions.  His interest and education in art began at a very early age with the attention of a grade school teacher who recognized his creative talents and his passion for the world around him.  Despite administrative regulations governing her actions, she secretly bought him art supplies and encouraged and nurtured his God-given talents.

“I believe in the beauty of all things.  Each living creature, each static object, each fleeting desire, and each universal suffering is an integral thread in the fabric of our own collective existence.  No one thing exists in isolation.  No one thing empowers its own beauty.  All things are made beautiful by its unique relationship to the balance of all other things.  I try to capture the essence of this belief in my work.”

Michael Pracht’s work has been exhibited in galleries on the eastern coast of the United States and in his studio in Richmond, Virginia.  His work has won a number of awards. He now lives and works in Central Texas.