A native of Michigan, Michelle Holliday began drawing horses as soon as she could hold a pencil. She sold her first painting at age 15 “to a total stranger” and as a child she would take a bus to the Detroit Racecourse to watch the Thoroughbreds. She also rode as often as she could on weekends.

Holliday’s art was temporarily sidelined by a professional nursing career, where she became a certified critical care registered nurse. She then went on to work in coronary care and finally cardiovascular ICU where she cared for open-heart bypass and heart-transplant patients.

Holliday died in December 2004 following complications from a heart attack. Her artwork is now represented by Scott Peterson of Patterson Gallery in Pendleton, S.C.