Born in Los Angeles, Michael graduated from San Jose State University and continued his education at Long Beach State. He also attended the Southern California College of Art and Design as a scholarship student.

Equally comfortable painting the figure or landscape, Michael Hallinan painted with acrylics on canvas. Along with painting commissioned portraits, Michael specialized in painting the California coast and the Hawaiian Islands. A lifelong surfer, he would return to Hawaii each year to surf and capture on canvas the landscapes of his youth.

His paintings have graced the covers of several national publications including “American Artists” and “Artists of Southern California”. In 1988 he was honored to have work recreated in the “Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters”. He also taught and mentored aspiring artists throughout his career.

Michael passed away peacefully on October 17, 2020 from a short battle with brain cancer.