In his UFO Paintings, Michael introduces small, delicate UFOs into otherwise ordinary skies, subtly transforming the landscape. These figures evoke the unseen and the jarring, creating a dialogue between the familiar and the mysterious—the elusive “other.” Acting as quiet companions within the scenes he depicts, they highlight our connection to forces both natural and unknown, suggesting moments that feel enchanted yet carry an ominous, or perhaps a benign presence.

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Michael Prettyman is a contemporary artist and scholar of comparative religion. A maker his whole life, his paintings, drawings, and sculptures explore representational art through cross-cultural spiritual and eschatological traditions, blending material practice with meditation. Trained in classical painting in the U.S., and thangka painting in India, and Nepal, he holds a master’s in theology from Harvard Divinity School. His work has been exhibited internationally, with permanent murals at the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Botanical Gardens, Bronx Zoo and St. John’s Church. He teaches at Hunter College, lectures widely on creativity and mysticism, and is developing a book in addition to a body of paintings on the Anthropocene Sublime, a term that describes the awe, terror, and profound emotional experience arising from humanity's unprecedented impact on Earth.