Yaz Krehbiel was born and raised in the Chicago area. He received a BA and a BS in Engineering from Dartmouth College. While finishing his engineering degree, he enrolled in drawing classes with the esteemed painter Ben Frank Moss and was so inspired that he began studio art study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has since received a MFA from Indiana University. His work infuses the tradition of plein-air painting with a modernist approach that brings a contemplative presence to reveries of light and atmosphere.