Painter and sculptor Buck McCain was raised on a working cattle ranch in southern California near the Mexican border. McCain was home-schooled by his mother and also learned Spanish and the native Indian language from the local children. A fifth generation rancher, McCain took over the ranch at age 20 when his father died.

Upon graduation from high school McCain realized that he needed to further his education or he would spend the rest of his life cattle ranching. He attended Imperial Valley Junior College near El Centro, California on a pre-med scholarship. McCain took art courses to balance out his science course work. His art teacher, Juanita Low, encouraged McCain to pursue a career in art. The artist found further encouragement...