About Michael J. Auger

More About Michael

So, you know that I'm a freelance artist for hire, providing custom illustration and graphic design services, and that I also create offbeat fine art, but you want to know more...

I was born in the mid-70's and given the name Michael John. My last name is Auger and is pronouced Oh-zhay (rhymes with okay). My family has always supported my passion for art. From a very early age I filled my bedroom walls with drawings and created picture books using the back sides of my father's government reports.

At grade school I quickly became known as the "class artist". I contributed cartoons to the school newspaper as well as the various departments and clubs. Outside school I continued to draw homemade comic books that became more complex the older I grew. I also entered and won various art contests including a contest by ABC News. I graduated from grade school in 1990 with a medal of recognition for excellence in art.

At high school my reputation as an artist continued. I started out freshman year in the advanced art course with a class of seniors and then did additional independent-study art credits. Again, I actively contributed cartoons to the school newspaper and one was rewarded in a nationwide contest. I also contributed my artwork to the school literary magazine and other various clubs designing posters, t-shirts, and even an animated opening for the morning news broadcast.

Outside of high school I took additional art classes from a private tutor, Marion Osher. I also illustrated my sister Jeanne Durso's poems and self-published a children's book of her collected stories called Fish Tails. I graduated high school in 1994 with another medal of excellence in art. I left behind a mural painted in one of the hallways of the school along with many fond memories.

Next, I attended the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio on a four year merit scholarship. This school is renown as having the top illustration program in the country and had a very intense workload they claimed was second only to Princeton. Half the freshman class dropped out. I enjoyed the focused environment and I learned a great deal. I graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and returned to Maryland where I set up my freelance business: Auger Artwork Studios.

I have been employed as an Art Teacher, Graphic Designer, and an Art Director in addition to my freelance career, which has steadily grown and has been a full-time profession since 2006. Some of the clients I have worked with include:

Department of Agriculture, Security of Operations
Dungerness Brewing Company
Eastman Music Company
Georgetown University
Holiday Inn
JIM'S Inc.
Norman's Farm Market
Stanford University
Vornado, Charles E. Smith
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Art has always been, and forever will be, a big part of my life and the best is still yet to come!