Gary Hartenhoff was born into the stark beauty of South Dakota, in the city of Sioux Falls. The year was 1935. Surrounded by horizon-touching fields and endless blue sky, he developed the desire to re-create what he saw around him. In high school, Gary took every art class he could find and started painting designs on cars and store windows, which led to painting signs at a very early age.

In 1962, while in his 20's, tamed by marriage and a young family, Gary settled into a successful career as founder and owner of Hart Signs and Graphics. But his passion for fine art never dimmed.

In 1976, with his business well under way, Gary started three years of intensive work in stained glass. By 1981 he was, once again enrolling in every painting and drawing workshop offered in the area, by the University of Minnesota, the Scottsdale School of Art and Augustana College in Sioux Falls.

In 1988, with his children grown and his marriage in the past, Gary closed Hart Signs and headed west to pursue his dream. His travels brought him to the Pacific, to the beautiful light of Southern California and to the last stop on the road---San Diego.