About The Artist

Gene Irvin has had a passion for drawing and creating art since he was a young child.  His childhood centered around growing up on a farm near Yuma, AZ. Throughout his childhood, he was raised around all sorts of animals, including various birds of prey. One day, as a youth, Irvin shot down a barn owl. The experience has haunted him ever since and his fascination with drawing owls is his way of atoning for the situation. Owls are among his favorite subjects and appear frequently throughout his pieces. His other passion from childhood into adulthood has been aviation. He received his pilot’s license in 1957 and flew airplanes throughout much of his life. He owned a WW II trainer, Fairchild PT 26, for 43 years. 

As a career, Gene taught 5th-8th grade for 34 years, while serving in the military and AZ National Guard for 30 years. He has been married since 1966 and, together with his wife, raised a family of two children and has three grandchildren. During this time in his life, he had little time to pursue his artistic ability, but once he retired, he focused on refining his art skills. 

Music was another interest pursued by Gene. He played saxophone in high school and the Sun Devil band at ASU. Once retired, he joined the Sandwich Isle Ukulele Band, doing community gigs in the greater Phoenix area. He also had time to become involved in the First Presbyterian Church of Casa Grande and community organizations such as The Casa Grande Historical Museum, Casa Grande Food Bank, Sunrise Optimist Club and the Casa Grande Art Association. 

Since 2004, Gene and his wife Linda have split their time annually between Casa Grande and Pinetop. They love their time in the mountains, enjoying nature, wildlife and especially the birds. His art reflects his love of nature as he draws in great detail. After using pen and ink, he often uses watercolor to add a soft background to his detail and really bring the artistic creation to life.