C. Michael Dudash

Born in 1952, C. Michael Dudash was raised in Mankato, Minnesota. His first passion in life was art, followed by an interest in music. After high school and a brief year of college as an art major, he quit school to follow a career as a musician. After six years in the music business, he returned to his art, and briefly attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. In 1978 he was offered a job as a staff illustrator for the McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. and within a year he began winning national awards for his published artwork.  After a year, Michael relocated with his wife, Valerie, to the Green Mountains of her native Vermont.

In 1978 he opened his first studio and began his full-time career as a freelance artist and oil painter using agents out of New York City. Over the next 25 years, he developed a highly successful career and national reputation in the field of illustration. His paintings and drawings became highly sought after by publishers, clients and corporations.

         While Michael was flourishing as an illustrator, he was also producing a limited number of oil paintings for the gallery and portrait marketplace. In 2002 he left his illustration work behind and became a full-time painter in the fine art world. He quickly found that painting the characters and history of the Old West especially excited him and since 2006 this has been his focus and singular subject matter.  

His work has been featured at Prix De West, Quest for the West, the C. M. Russell Museum Annual Show and Auction, the Buffalo Bill Art Show, the CDA Auction, and the Scottsdale Art Auction. His many awards and honors include the Spirit of the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale Award in 2016; the Quest for the West Patron’s Choice Award in 2015 and the Artist’s Choice Award in 2014, 2015 and 2016.  In 2017 he received the Museum Purchase Award at the Briscoe Western Art Museum.

 A true highlight in Michael’s career was the invitation in October of 2016 to become a member of the Cowboy Artists of America. His awards at the Cowboy Artists of America Annual Show include: the Gold Medal for the drawing 2017, Best Oil Painting in 2021 & 2022, and the Ray Swanson Award in 2023.

He has been featured in Art of the West, Southwest Art, Western Art Collector and American Artists Magazine. His paintings are displayed at many private and corporate permanent collections, as well as The Booth Museum of Western Art, the Briscoe Western Art Museum and the Pearce Western Art Museum. He was selected by the C. M. Russell Museum to become a member of the Russell Skull Society of Artists in 2014.

Over the years Michael has enjoyed success as a lecturer and a teacher through his many oil painting workshops. In 2012 he published a limited-edition book, C. Michael Dudash-Western Collections, showcasing 87 paintings.  Michael is also committed to his guitar/mandolin playing, Christian ministry, and his family. He lives with his wife, Valerie, near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.