American sculptor Michael Alfano has been sculpting for over fifteen years. A native of New York, he now lives and works in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. His major influences are Salvador Dali, Jo Davidson, and Jean-Antoine Houdon, as well as Buddhist, Taoist, Sufi and other eastern philosophy and literature. He first studied at the Art Students League of New York, with an emphasis on life-size sculpture from the model. His formal education continued at Boston University and was augmented by internships with several prominent sculptors.

Ali Asair, who has left his family behind and traveled hundreds of kilometers in search for a pasture for his animals, attends to his camel in a pastoralists' settlement in the Bandarbeyla district in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland, Somalia, 24 March 2017. According to media reports, the United Nations says only 31 percent of 864 million US dollars appeal for a drought-hit Somalia is funded. The UN said the world is facing the largest humanitarian crisis since 1945, adding that more than 20 million people are facing the threat of famine in Somalia, Yemen, South Sudan and Nigeria and 1.4 million children could die from starvation this year. (Photo by Dai Kurokawa/EPA)

A woman strikes a police truck with her hand during a protest march in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 16, 2015. Thousands of students marched through the streets of Chile's capital to protest recent corruption scandals and to complain about delays in a promised education overhaul. While it was largely peaceful, violence broke out at the end when hooded protesters threw rocks and gasoline bombs at police. (Photo by Luis Hidalgo/AP Photo)

“Wong Maye-E joined AP as a staff photographer in 2003. Based in Singapore, Maye-E's work is centered around Sports reportage, entertainment, politics, and regional news stories. Maye-E has covered headlining events such as the 2014 World Cup, Thailand political protests, and the devastation of the Philippines Typhoon”. – Associated Press. Photo: A baby black howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) clings onto its mother's back on Thursday January 29, 2009 in Singapore where it's national zoo is actively involved in the conservation and education of wildlife reserves. (Photo by Wong Maye-E/AP Photo)

A riot policeman watches as a police vehicle burns in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday, October 25, 2016. Rioters in South Africa set a police vehicle on fire Tuesday and stoned vehicles near a Johannesburg university that has been the scene of sometimes violent protests by students demanding free education. The violence broke out in streets near the University of the Witwatersrand at around the same time that student protesters met and marched off the campus, South African media reported. (Photo by Yeshiel Panchia/AP Photo)

Tourists take photos from a panoramic viewing deck on Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, China, 26 January 2019. Hong Kong has been ranked the world's freest economy by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research and educational institution based in Washington, for the 25th consecutive year, but the researchers also said the judiciary had become less effective. (Photo by Jerome Favre/EPA/EFE)

A 9 year old girl receives digital lessons from the primary school teacher in Rotterdam, Netherlands on April 20, 2020, because the schools are closed due to the corona crisis staying at home. Many schools are putting together a homework package or using digital teaching methods, now that education has been closed for several weeks due to the corona virus. (Photo byRobin Utrecht/Rex Features/Shutterstock)