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Mike’s journey into air traffic control began with a love for problem-solving and a desire to engage in a challenging, fast-paced environment. Starting his career at NAV CANADA, Mike quickly realized that air traffic control isn’t just about relaying instructions or managing aircraft—it’s about seeing the bigger picture, while being attuned to the smallest details. Every shift, he monitors and coordinates flight paths, ensuring safety and efficiency as planes move through the skies.

Mike’s work is both technical and intuitive. His role demands a combination of quick thinking and the ability to manage multiple moving parts, qualities that overlap strongly with his artistic endeavors. “As an air traffic controller, you have to constantly observe, anticipate and adjust,” Mike says. “In many ways, it’s like creating a painting—you plan, but you also adapt to what’s happening in real time.”

Mike’s passion for art runs deep in his family. With a mother who owned an art gallery and a father who worked as an architect, he was surrounded by creativity from an early age. His grandfather, an artist trained by some of Canada’s most respected painters, left behind a legacy of art that continues to inspire Mike today. “Using my grandfather’s palette knives and easel feels like carrying forward his artistic legacy,” he reflects.

Mike sees strong connections between his artistic practice and his work at NAV CANADA. “Both roles demand a balance between intuition and analysis,” he notes. “Whether I’m deciding the next stroke on a canvas or managing air traffic, it’s about trusting the process, observing the situation and being flexible enough to adapt.”

Here are some key parallels Mike draws between his work and his art:

• Observation: Both air traffic control and painting require keen observation. In art, Mike must consider different perspectives—wide-angle and detailed views—while in air traffic control, he monitors aircraft routes, flight plans and movements with similar focus.
• Imagination: As an artist, when he thinks about a perspective that he would like to paint, he must plan for it—imagine the place, where he wants to be in relation to the subject and how to evoke the feeling of it. In Mike’s role at NAV CANADA, he must also imagine various outcomes and scenarios when managing traffic, anticipating the next move and adjusting accordingly.
• Problem-solving: Painting incorporates a lot of variables, like thickness of paint, opacity, tone, hue and chroma. Just as Mike balances colour, light, and perspective in his art, air traffic control demands continuous problem-solving. Whether he’s working through a complex air traffic situation or adjusting the composition of a painting, Mike uses the same analytical mindset.
• Patience and Persistence: Both practices require time and steady progress. In painting, layers of colour and texture are built gradually, much like the years of training and experience that go into becoming an air traffic controller.
• Spatial Awareness: The aerial perspective in Mike’s artwork can sometimes get lost if he does not consider the scale or relationships of objects like roads, buildings and landscapes next to one another. Air traffic control is similar in that he must look at a surveillance screen of two-dimensional information and data to extrapolate and envision the space in a three-dimensional space. Mike actually emphasized, “this is one of the most satisfying and exciting parts of my job!”
• Attention to Detail: In both painting and air traffic control, small details can make a huge difference. Whether it’s the angle of light in a cityscape or a flight’s altitude, maintaining a high level of focus on detail is crucial.

Mike’s dual passions continue to fuel his creativity and professional growth. As an artist, he’s eager to exhibit his workOpen a new window more widely across Canada, ideally alongside his wife, creating a shared narrative through their art. He’s also drawn to the idea of larger-scale projects, such as public installations or collaborationsOpen a new window that push the boundaries of his current practice.

At NAV CANADA, Mike remains committed to honing his skills as an air traffic controller, applying the same persistence and passion to his work that he brings to his art. His journey is a testament to how diverse interests and talents can inform and enhance one another, creating a rich, fulfilling professional and personal life.

“I’m always striving to learn more, whether it’s in the control centre or in front of a canvas,” Mike says. “In both, the pursuit of excellence is a never-ending journey.”