Mike is a scientist with a strong affinity for art. His father, Noel Bruton, was a well-known watercolourist and landscape painter in East London and he grew up in a creative, artistic home. He chose to pursue science as a career while always staying in touch with the art scene.
He has a particular interest in the influence of African art in the experimentation that produced modern art and also in the symbolism of fish in art. While pursuing his career as an ichthyologist, he has travelled widely and has used these opportunities to familiarise himself with art in many African and other countries.
Mike has given many talks at art exhibition openings and has published on the nature of creativity and on the relationship between art and science.