Mikhail Maiofis was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and was an accomplished artist at a very young age. He is best known for his illustrations of children's books, most notably the famous, "Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen". His work is in both private and public collections throughout the world, and he is listed as one of the top 100 Russian artists of the century.

After emigrating with his family to the United States in 1989, Mikhail has been living in Los Angeles. An account of his life mentions his struggling to be an artist in the United States, "a country with such different views on art." Although despite this he was able to continue his work as a painter. With Mikhail's flourishing creativity, it is no wonder that his son, Gregori Miaofis, is also an artist.