Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Gary Tillery earned a Master’s in Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management after receiving a Bachelor’s in Latin American Studies from Arizona State University. He became a professional artist in his mid-forties after a varied background with the Air Force in Vietnam (1968-69), work on oil rigs in Indonesia (1973-74), and a business career as co-owner of a Chicagoland ad agency (1980-96). He has works in the permanent collection of the National Veterans Art Museum, and he has displayed in venues across the country and in Shanghai, China.