Michael Erwin was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He moved to Calgary, Alberta where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy at the University of Calgary and joined the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).

Michael spent over 40 years in the RCN, specialising in navigation as a Maritime Advanced Navigating Officer. His service at sea took him around the world, and at various times he served ashore in Halifax, Ottawa, Victoria, and Bahrain. He retired from the Navy in 2021.

Art has always been an interest for Michael. He sketched and painted from an early age, though he received no formal training until doing the Vancouver Island School of Art certificate programme in 2024/25. Additionally, he was the cartoonist for the CFB Esquimalt base newspaper, the Lookout, for over two decades. His cartoons have appeared in the Readers’ Digest and the Weekly World News.

Michael is currently enrolled at Camosun College in the Comics and Graphic Novels certificate programme, which he shall complete in April 2026.

Michael is married to Karen Hough, a professional French hornist with the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra. They have a son, Alex, who is a serving Victoria Police Department constable, and two grandsons, Jax (4) and Dean (1).