Michael Ashcroft was born in 1969. He grew up in a small picturesque village called Croston in Lancashire. From an early age he had a keen interest in art and can fondly remember watching other artists paint pictures of the famous Church Street. After leaving school in 1985 with top grades in art he began his career as an engineer, painting and sketching only in his spare time. In 1988 he had a major operation and decided to paint more seriously. He returned to college and completed numerous classes in art including A level fine art, OCA in portraiture and life drawing classes.

..."Lancashire is a wonderful place for an artist to live, from its luscious greens and warm yellows during summer, to the long winter months where the skies hang majestically over the drab landscape; there is an endless amount of subject matter."