About the Artist

Artist Bio

Gary D. Rankin, a.k.a. “GD”, was born and raised in south Texas where much of the land is still wild and the people are always friendly. Gary comes from a long line of avid outdoorsmen and was taught early in life to study, respect and honor all things in nature. Learning to ride before he could walk gave him a special admiration for horses, so it’s no surprise that his first acrylic paintings were of wild mustangs. He began drawing and sketching at a very young age. Since various small orphaned wild animals were raised by the family, they naturally became companions and favorite subjects.

Gary's artistic experience from childhood to present includes painting with acrylics, enamels and watercolors. He has always enjoyed working with other mediums such as charcoal, clay, leather and pastels to name a few. Applying his skills to all areas of art and experimenting with different ideas helps keep thing fresh and exciting, he says.

Having over twenty years in the vast commercial art industry, in 1996 Gary started working with watercolors and began his venture into the “Fine Arts”. As reflected in his paintings, he gets a lot of his inspiration from wildlife and nature. He says his “country boy” upbringing and his commercial art backgrounds have both contributed to his abilities and the styles he enjoys painting.

”Living in the country, doing farm and ranch work and traipsing around in the woods hunting with dogs all of my life with my father, along with learning the many skills necessary to make a living in the commercial art business have all played a part in what and how I paint.” Gary relates.

As hobbies, he enjoys photography, plays the twelve string acoustic and bass guitars as well as the Native American flute and drums.

Gary’s paintings have been on display in galleries in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area, as well as in and around San Antonio where he calls home.