T. Vincent Tholkes was born in Buffalo, Minnesota and had a desire to create art at a young age. After retiring in 1992, he obtained a degree in fine arts at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California. Showing his work in Solvang, California, Tholkes soon began receiving commissions to paint acrylic murals, both indoors and outdoors. In 1997, he began working with colored pencils. he perfected the skill of layering colors with beeswax pencils, to give depth and purity to the pictures. Tholkes is a member of the Yosemite Western Artist Association, the Society of Western Artists, and the Colored Pencil Society of America. His still lifes in colored pencil, as well as acrylic landscapes are on view at the Grimmer Gallery