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About The Artist

 

  New Jersey Native Michael R. Braun is one of the country’s fastest growing and most favorited waterfowl artists. His passion for decoy carving and painting started at the age of nine when he carved his first decoy - side by side with his father, Ed. Growing up, Michael's passion for the outdoors grew and began to hunt and fish. Being out in natuer heavily influenced his artistic talents.  In high school, and beyond, he competed and placed high in the New Jersey Duck Stamp Competition, while still helping his father carve and design gorgeous and life-like duck decoys.  This lead him to go on and earn a scholarship to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. During this time Michael studied Illustration and Design, starting his artistic career as a Commercial Illustrator and Designer. Now a freelance artist, Michael spends his days carving and painting what he is most passionate about - " Waterfowl."  He has also been commissioned as a graphic artist, painter and sketch artist.

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Decoys

 

From service grade decoys to decorative smoothies, Michael takes pride in himself to be one of the few artist left upholding this functional art form full time. Each decoy is hand crafted one by one to meet the customer’s needs. Carved from Cedar, Tupalo and other various types of wood, each decoy is painted in oils to give it a traditional look and feel. Michael's contemporary style holds the traditional East coast look and feel. Although Michael's decoys are generally carved for hunters, his work can also be seen in many wildlife and waterfowl collections all around North America.

 

Flat Work

 

  Michael's incredible, artistic talents are not limited to carving. Whether it’s on paper or canvas, he also creates “flat-work.” He uses his flat-work as a forward thinking process that helps him tell a story or scene involving waterfowl and other wildlife without stating a single word. It helps him to convey a moment giving people the knowledge and the awareness of what the world has to offer beyond their backyard. His art transcends language that allows people to truly live in that particular time – feeling the air temperature, smelling the outdoors, holding those binoculars, etc.  Like a silent movie, through his paintings or sketches, Michael has the gift of expressing his love and adoration for the sport of waterfowling and hunting.  From intricate and life-like decoy designs, to fully painted historical scenes, Michael shares his passion with the world by one pencil or brush stroke at a time.