Artist Howard Terpning was born in Illinois and grew up in the midwest.  He first started drawing at the age of seven and, after serving with the U.S. Marines, he enrolled in Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.  After art school, Terpning found employment as a commercial illustrator.  Along with doing magazine illustrations, Terpning designed the posters of over 80 films.  In 1967, he went to Vietnam as a civilian combat artist.  His six Vietnam paintings hang in the National Museum of the Marine Corps.  In 1974, Terpning retired from doing commercial work and devoted his time to paintings inspired by Native American history and culture.  Terpning’s paintings hang in galleries around the world and he has collected over 42 awards for his work.