Todd Connor was born in 1964 and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His background of camping, hunting and fishing while growing up sparked his interest in the outdoors and American history. At the age of twelve he started painting in pastels and oils. His subject matter ranged from landscapes to wildlife and western themes such as cowboys. Todd with "Charlie Struggling with Carson's Men" After high school and a few odd jobs Todd took time off of painting and joined the Navy where he served as a Navy SEAL in Coronado, Ca. After the Navy he traveled the country visiting historical sites and National Parks where his love of history and the outdoors came together with his desire to pick up the paint brush once again. At that point he started taking college courses in drawing and painting until he finally ended up at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Ca. where he received a BFA in Illustration in 1997. Upon graduation he worked as a colorboard painter on the Universal Studios Japan theme park project then made the leap into painting full time in 1999 where he has met with much success. Todd’s primary focus is on the mountain man and pioneer periods of American history with an emphasis on the figure and landscape. He makes it his business to walk the land and float the rivers of the characters in his paintings and to paint on location as much as possible to get the sense of place. This is absolutely essential to him as is researching the subject matter.