Monty was born in Vigo County, Indiana, just north of Terre Haute in 1941. He has always enjoyed drawing and painting, and is a self-taught artist with a deep interest in nature and the great outdoors. He is also an avid auto racing fan and an Indian relic collector - hence the nickname.

      When Monty retired from the offset printing trade in 2002, his wife gave him a modern wood burning machine as his retirement gift. Monty began by doing artwork on cured gourds and eventually shifted his craft to wood panels, basswood rounds, wood boxes and other wood items. He learned to use the wood burner along with acrylic paint in a manner that creates amazingly realistic textures and strong contrasts of light and shadow.

      Monty has won several first and second place ribbons at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis and received "Best of Show" at the Rockville Gallery in 2005 and 2006 in the "associates" art show.

      Monty has been married to his wife, Phyllis for 42 years and they have three children.

Copyright 2008