Those influences, plus living near Belmont Park, resulted in his love of horses and desire to paint them.
He served with the United States Navy during World War II after which he embarked on a career as a painter of horses.
His big break came when Life magazine featured his painting of 1947 Horse of the Year, Armed.
That publicity led to his being hired to do private portraitures for many American and European horse owners.
More than a dozen of his works can be found in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York.