Birth place or City of origin: | Decatur |
State of origin: | AL |
Last known City: | |
Last known State: | |
Start/Birth date: | 1950 |
Death/End date: |
Born in Decatur, Alabama, Michael Schreck is a popular painter of history, sporting, wildlife, and portrait subjects with a specialty in scenes from the Civil War and early American frontier. "Hunting and fishing are my inspiration,” Schreck said, “whether in Africa, the United States or Scotland.”
Schreck has traveled extensively throughout America and Africa as well as Europe and South America. He has said that Africa, England and Scotland are his favorite places and wherever he goes, he immediately seeks out the animals. The results are paintings of wild boar, deer, pheasants, Alpine chamois, and buffaloes, especially The Cape Buffalo, "the most dangerous and vindictive animal in Africa.”
Michael Shreck is the son of jewelry and belt designer Ann Schreck, also of Decatur, so his influence from childhood was creativity. He credits his mother with much encouragement of his career. Obviously proud of her son, she said: "We realized Mike had a God-given talent when he was small. From the time he could hold a pencil, he was drawing, so we always saw to it that he had drawing and painting supplies."
She recalled his fascination as a child with a print of Custer's Last Stand in his uncle's home. “Mike would sit and study that for hours, and I still have stacks of Custer's Last Stand drawings and paintings. He's been doing them since he was 5 years old, and he's still doing them."
In 2000, his quail painting, A Close Call became the image on the Quail Unlimited Stamp. Other recognition has been selections of his work for print reproduction by Ducks Unlimited and the Alabama Wildlife Federation.