Cowboy artist Larry Zabel was born in Deer Creek, Minnesota, and settled about 70 miles from Yellowstone National Park near McAllister, Montana. Carving and drawing were primary boyhood interests of Zabels. He received an art degree from Long Beach State in California, and spent an additional year at the University of the Americas (formerly Mexico City College). This background led him into a career in technical and commercial illustration, including a decade at the Naval Weapons Center in the California desert, involved in various audio-visual activities. Zabel labeled himself a cowboy artist, as he and his wife moved to Montana in 1988, allowing him to live out a fantasy of Indians, cowboys, and bears. There he was able to paint the life he wanted to live. The subjects of his works include a wide variety of wildlife native to Montana, but his earlier paintings focused on cowboys and Indians. Zabel strove for accurate portrayals, and was most satisfied when the viewer recognized his canyons, ranches, and animals. His acknowledgements and awards include Artist of the Year at the Southern Maryland Wildlife Festival and Best Painting at the Charlie Russell Auction Show. Larry Zabel died on September 11, 2012 at his McAllister, Montana home. Sources:Biography from the Archives of askART Vicki Stavig, "The Studio", Art of the West, April, 1997, p.15 Carol Flaherty