Phil Starke began to show an interest in art from the time he lived in Germany as a young boy while his father was in the military. He studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Inspired by the instructors at the Academy, Starke changed course from his aim at the advertising world and developed a passion for oil painting. It was upon graduation from the American Academy of Art that he decided to plunge into the profession of fine art. From the Midwest, West and Southwest, Phil has continued to be inspired. Each season and each region has its own color palette and unique landscape. From landscape to figures, and plein-air to studio painting Phil continues to find inspiration in his work.
 
Bron: philstarke.com

Raised in Lander, Wyoming, Scott Christensen settled in Jackson and became a successful painter at an early age. However, he never began painting until he was in college, but he credits his basic interest to seeing his wheel-chair bound grandfather painting. Christensen nearly had the same fate as he fractured a vertebra in a college football game, and switched his energy to art from a consuming passion for sports.
 
Bron: askart.com