For many years, Mike Lipton has adroitly juggled the roles of writer, editor, artist and photographer. Born in Baltimore, Md., he earned a B.A. in English from Oberlin College and an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University before embarking on a high-profile career as a journalist working for two of the most popular magazines in the country. After rising to Executive Editor at TV Guide, Mike moved to People, where, as an editor, writer and television critic, he contributed to books ranging from a Seinfeld tribute to Pop Icons of the '90s and, most recently, an American Idol retrospective.

Art, however, has been his first love, ever since taking classes as a teenager at Washington, D.C.’s Corcoran Gallery. In recent years his acrylic landscape paintings have been exhibited at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey and in a one-man-show at the Summit Jewish Community Center. This past summer his work was selected for Jane Law's Watercolor Show and this winter four of his photographs are represented at the LBIF Small Works Exhibition. Always an avid amateur photographer, he took up digital photography in 2001 and for the past two years has exhibited and sold works at Jane Law’s gallery during her annual Photography Exhibit. His photographs are also on display at the How You Brewin' Internet Cafe in Surf City. Last June 23-24 his studio drew nearly 200 visitors as part of the second annual Long Beach Island Artists Open Studio Tour and he was profiled in The Press of Atlantic City (see Press Clips).

Mike and his wife, Teresa, are members of the Pine Shores Art Association (where Mike is chairman of the publicity committee), the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences (where Mike's work has been displayed) and the Tuckerton Seaport (where Teresa volunteers as a docent and Mike as photographer of Seaport events and artifacts).  Using his North Beach studio as a base, Mike plans to continue turning out acrylics, watercolors and photographs while completing his first novel. You can e-mail him at mikelipton@mikeliptongallery.com.