During the early 1960's, Michael and his friends spent a lot of time in and around Arizona. While Lake Powell was filling, they would take a motorboat to reach previously inaccessible cliff dwellings; as the water level rose, they could simply drive the boat up to the dwelling and walk in. Michael states that there is a strong relationship between his photos and paintings, but the paintings are visually austere, reduced to color, movement, space and form. His forms originated in the peaks, valleys, arches, windows, pinnacles and spires; his colors in the paintings were derived from the canyon walls, the play of light and shadow, the flowers, lichen, desert varnish: the hues and shades of mountain and canyon.