Born 1947, in the reconstruction period right after the war, Michael R. Whipple had making art and music in his blood from the beginning. He has produced over 18,000 individual paintings, etchings, original jewelry, ceramic and sculpted pieces. He has done at least 20,000 drawings of figures. Many of these were drawn in 2003 as small studies.

By the age of 6, Whipple became highly interested in painting, drawing and sculpture. It was like he knew exactly what he would enjoy doing for his entire life. He formally began to study art at the University of Utah Department, majoring in sculpture, working in the studio of the prominent Italian sculptor, Angelo Caravaglia.

In 1974-75, in Boston, he painted Governor Michael Dukakis and portraits of several Boston dignitaries. He painted Boston Bruins hockey star Bobby Orr. He painted football players from the New York Jets, The New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers John Brody. One well-known painting from 1975 is a 5' painting of O.J. Simpson. It was called "O.J. and the Bolt." It was distributed as a limited edition print. It shows O.J. getting smashed by a crippling bolt of lightning from Ron (the Bolt) Bolton of the New England Patriots.

Making a financial art statement, in 1984, he founded the Bankers Art Museum (BAM) as his studio to publish, certify and house his prodigious and valuable output. That same year, Mohammed Ali asked Sky to paint a painting of children of different races on the back of Sky's beautiful white Arabian mare. It was for his "Children's Peace Journey" benefit.

In 1984, Michael H. Whipple changed his name to Sky Jones. In 1997 he stopped signing Sky Jones and in 2003 started signing his art Siren Bliss.