Ralph Parker received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston in 1972, and worked for many years as a draftsman in the oil industry, a freelance architectural illustrator, and a technical illustrator in the automotive armor industry. He and is wife Nell also operated an art gallery for a short time in Ruidoso, New Mexico. His small book, Becoming a Painter in Only 45 Years, chronicles the ups and downs of an on again-off again art career. In 2007, Parker shifted his focus from just drawing and turned to brushes. Choosing gouache as his primary medium, he spent several years teaching himself to paint. Today, he focuses on storybook art and pursues sketching in ink & watercolor. He has published three additional books, including: Painting The World My Way ~ The Gouache Book; The Barn Project, and most recently his first children's book, Sherwin, A Snail's Tale. Ralph and his wife Nell live in Liberty Hill, Texas, northwest of Austin.