MIKE POTTER

AMERICAN ARTIST

I grew up in the wonderful Ski Resort Town of Whitefish Montana. My Parents had a house on the Whitefish Lake Golf Course. I enjoyed Boating and Golfing during the summers, ski racing in the winters on Big Mountain Resort.

I was given the best environment any young person could have had growing up with my brother and sister. My mother owned her own Hair Salon and Dad worked on the Railroad. For money in the summers, when I was 8, I sold golf balls that I found near our property on the 11th hole, Lakeside 9. I had several Canadian customers. I presented the golf balls for sale in egg boxes. These were some of my fondest childhood memories.

During my teenage years, I passionately worked out most everyday at the local Health Club and packed my own healthy meals to school. A lot of my Jock friends made fun of me for it. I played football all four [4] years of High School. I received an All Conference title and played 1st string in (2) State Championship football games as a linebacker. This taught me team work and discipline and to always be positive.

After High School, I pursued a career as a Fitness Trainer in Seattle. It brought me to places that I stayed for several months like New York City, California, Miami, Arizona, Costa Rica and Singapore to train clients. When I was in my thirties I sold my two [2] homes in Seattle Washington and moved back to Whitefish Montana. A friend and I started a newspaper in 2003, called the Whitefish Free Press. Shortly after a year in circulation, I took over 100% ownership, taking it from a 12 page Black and White to a 34 Page Full Color and into over 180 Valley Wide locations. I Later sold it in 2006.

After selling the paper, I immediately signed up for the Army’s Infantry Unit for a 2 year contract in 2007, in a time of War. I did this to get some sort of understanding of the war as a real Soldier. I requested a deploying Unit when starting my Military career and ended up in Korea then Texas. In 2009, I won 1st Place in the U.S. Forces, West Texas Bodybuilding contest. This was an Army Sponsored event and my enlistment was soon up. I ended my military career on a very healthy note.

Post my Military Career, I attended Media and Digital Art School at the University of Hawaii Leeward. I used my 911 G.I Bill. The campus was located on the North Shore Side of the Island of Oahu. After two years in Hawaii I left the Islands and started a Digital Media Business in Whitefish, Montana.

I started painting in spring of 2015 basic landscape scenes of Whitefish and surrounding area. Now I specialize paint a wide variety of work that creates connection to the environment I am in.