Michael James Woodcock is Canadian, born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and raised in Ladner, a small fishing community on the South West Coast. From early childhood, he has been drawn to the physical beauty of his surroundings. Michael spent ten years commercial salmon fishing off the West Coast of Canada, where there is a rich heritage of native Indian art. During that time, he continued to develop the carving and sketching skills that began as a child, building upon traditional motifs used by NW coast native artists. Because fishing in Canada was a seasonal activity, Michael was able to use his free time to travel, and began wandering regularly overseas to Asia in 1985.

Michael worked in the Philippines and Australia, where exposure to different cultures further developed his ability to integrate cultural influences into his work. He began to appreciate the beauty found elsewhere.

In 1994, Marie, his wife, a development worker with CARE International, and Michael were offered the opportunity to live in Bangladesh. This gave him the chance to focus completely on his art, and to develop skills in different mediums. This was a very productive time. Michael Woodcock was able to direct his total energy to transforming ideas into various art forms.

Eight months after arriving in Bangladesh, Michael held his first solo exhibition of oils, watercolors and wood sculptures. The response from the both the art community, and patrons, was very positive. He was welcomed by Bangladeshi artists, who shared their love of art with a stranger.

Since moving permanently overseas, they have spent those two years in Dhaka, two and a half years in Angoche, Mozambique, 3 years in Cairo Egypt and are currently living in Tbilisi, Georgia. In both Mozambique, Egypt and Georgia, Michael has continued to receive support and encouragement from artists and patrons alike. The considerable time spent in Asia and Africa has helped him to observe and appreciate different forms of beauty found in the physical and cultural environment everywhere he has been. Michael has learnt to pay attention to the small details, in particular to everyday life, and feels challenged to capture them into his art.

Michael Woodcock has regularly displayed art at public exhibitions. In Canada, his artistic focus was sculpting, where he successfully obtained 2 major awards in a group exhibit. Since then he has participated in various major group exhibitions and held many solo exhibitions of his paintings. His works are in galleries, private and corporate collections in Asia, Africa, Canada, Europe and USA.