Michael Sweeney passed away peacefully on July 26, 2020 at the age of 73, surrounded by family and friends. He was an artist, musician, author, poet, intellectual, biographer, historian and a connoisseur of wines, spirits, and cigars. He was born and raised in Midland, Michigan and lived much of his life in Saugatuck, where he founded the Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society.

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Below is a quote from Michael, describing his connection with painting sunsets:

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“I have always been fascinated and haunted by sunsets. As far back in childhood as I can remember, I purposely looked in the sky at twilight, whether in town where the sunset reflected from the tall steeple across the street from my house, my grandfather’s farm where the setting sun washed color through the open fields, or the expanse of the Great Lakes and its vast afterglow. I’ve always been compelled to take note of the event. I started painting them in an attempt to express my reaction in ways that photographs could not.”