Spanky grew up in Georgia and learned to draw and paint at an early age. He later traveled the south and exhibited his artwork of the southern landscape. He graduated from the University of West Georgia with a BA in Art, where he was awarded two Permanent Collection awards from Peter Augustini, a world renowned sculptor from New York, and internationally known painter Donald Cooper. Upon graduation, Spanky began his career as a graphic designer and colorist with a major carpet and textile manufacturer. In the mid-seventies Spanky accepted a designer colorist position in Southern California where he continued to paint and pursue his love of the local land and seascape.  Most recently Spanky has moved to the Morro Bay area where he says “My peripheral vision of the central coast virtually dictates the color palette and brushstrokes onto my canvas.”