Steve Hanks began his art career at the age of sixteen when his parents moved the family from Southern California to Albuquerque, New Mexico. In California, he had been very active in sports, especially tennis. But devastated by the move to California, Hanks spent much of a year in his room listening to music and drawing posters for music groups. His posters of the Beatles, Bob Dylan and the Doors sold around the country.

After high school graduation, Hanks "jumped in the car and went back to California." (Stavig). He enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in San Francisco, and then studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. At CCAC...