Born and raise in Denver, Gary started drawing a child. He attended college on a tennis scholarship, then went on to earn multiple postgraduate degrees and become a university professor before retiring from academia to pursue his passion for painting. Gary divides his time between Colorado and such diverse locations as Mexico, Nepal, and Europe. He has earned acclaim as a mountain climber, author, and public speaker. Art collectors prize both his landscapes and figurative work. Gary makes his work available for galleries, private purchase, image reproduction, and commissions. He prefers commissions where the client wants the artist's vision to influence the painting rather than the photographic reproduction of a scene or person.