GERALD MOBLEY Gerald Ray Mobley was born on February 16, 1938, in Rector, Arkansas. His father, Donald, was a shoe salesman until he moved his family to Oklahoma and accepted a position with a firm which manufactured oil well equipment. His mother, Kathleen, remained a housewife except for a short time during their first years in Oklahoma when she worked as a seamstress for a store in Tulsa. His boyhood days in Arkansas were like those of most farm boys; hard work and plenty of responsibility early in life, and a good, healthy outdoor environment. Those days were not without risks, however, and he had a near-fatal mishap in a swimming hole when his cousin, who could not swim, stepped off a ledge into deeper water and grabbed Gerald by the head, forcing him under. All turned out well as Gerald kept his wits about him and worked his way to shore with his cousin still clinging to his head. Art courses were part of his high school curriculum, but the focus was on abstract art and design rather than realism. However, his instructor, Hortense Bateholts, recognized that he had talent and encouraged him to develop his skills. He credits much of his confidence to the special attention she gave him. After graduating from high school, he signed up for the Army reserves and spent his active duty time in El Paso, Texas, and Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, as a construction draftsman. Shortly after fulfilling his active duty obligation and returning to Tulsa, he married his high school sweetheart, Laura Sue McGuire. At the time he and Sue were married, Gerald was creating technical training aids for aircraft systems to assist in the training of pilots. From there he went back to the firm of his previous employment where he designed billboards. Two years later he accepted an offer from Oral Roberts, the well-known Tulsa evangelist, to work in his art department. Although he is not a follower of Oral Roberts, he stayed there nearly seven years, ultimately working his way to director of the art department. The desire for more advancement prompted a partnership in a commercial design studio, but the drive for self-employment was too strong, and he finally left the partnership and opened the doors of Mobley Art and Design, a now very successful commercial art studio in Tulsa. Although not compulsively drawn to painting wildlife, he attempted several paintings of hunting and fishing early in his career. He discarded those thoughts, however, until 1968 when a friend of his read an article on the Federal Duck Stamp Contest. He toyed with the idea and in 1981 he submitted a painting for the Oklahoma Duck Stamp Contest and came in second. He placed second again in 1982. The third year he won with a rendering of wood ducks. The win in Oklahoma encouraged him to seriously paint for the Federal contest. The idea of portraying a cinnamon teal came to him while photographing captive waterfowl in a local aviary. He wanted to keep his design simple, so he decided to use only the drake as opposed to a pair which is so common in duck stamp art. The decision proved to be a wise one. Gerald has a quiet personality and enjoys being home. He separates his wildlife painting from his commercial creations by only painting wildlife in the studio he maintains in his house. Although Gerald plans to spend more time painting wildlife, he has no intention of abandoning his commercial design studio. Perhaps a judicious mixture of commercial and wildlife will be the perfect balance for him. |
Russell Fink Gallery |