Born in Cleveland, Ohio Micheal Babyak left his home at 16 to travel and has lived in numerous places throughout the U.S., as well as in Europe where he served in the U.S. military. After finishing his service, he returned to Ohio where he graduated from the University of Cincinnati, Conservatory of Music with a bachelor’s degree in ballet. He had a 10-year career as a dancer with the Cincinnati Opera and performed with various regional ballet companies until 1992. Upon retiring from dance, he made a career of what had, until then, been a part-time passion: painting.   

Babyak’s work has evolved from realist figurative images in oils, acrylics, and charcoals, to abstraction and realism, primarily in acrylic. The viewer senses movement in his work, attributing to his history of music and dance. His paintings directly reflect exploration of feelings about both the physical and imagined, resulting in work that possesses an intangible aspect that strikes a familiar note.   

In 1993 Micheal Babyak moved to New York City and supported himself solely through the sale of his paintings. He has exhibited work in several national juried shows, including Emerging Visions in Los Angeles, National Works on Paper at St. John's University in New York and the 3 Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh.  Babyak has done scenic design for ballet as well as had his work televised on the WB Network’s Jamie Foxx Show.  He is the recipient of the Critic’s Pick Award from Manhattan Arts International Magazine, as well as numerous awards from other juried art shows throughout the USA.  

Michael Babyak has been commissioned to create large-scale paintings for Lucky Strike Lanes, 3 different Hard Rock Hotel and Casino locations, and Stella Artois. Coca Cola purchased a Micheal Babyak original for their 100th Anniversary Bottle tour of the world and the CEO of Coca Cola personally chose Michael’s painting for his Twitter page image. Micheal Babyak is currently represented by galleries throughout the world.