A native of East Tennessee, Virgil Hubbard is a hobbyist oil painter who has taken up painting in his retirement. In his earlier years he did pencil drawings of cars, landscapes, and the occasional portrait. During a 35+ year career in public safety (law enforcement and volunteer fire service) Virgil, for the most part, laid down the pencil and only found time for the occasional drawing (although he completed numerous traffic crash sketches) until he picked up the paint brush in retirement. Virgil does oil painting using the “wet on wet” method. He also enjoys photography, especially when traveling. Virgil is inspired by the Appalachian Mountains and the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Inspiration also comes from his travels to Alaska and other parts of the United States and the occasional international trip.