Carl Hantman (American 1933) was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and developed an early passion for painting through summer art schools on Cape Cod. After a brief period studying at the University of Miami, he served in the Korean War and was stationed in Japan as part of a winter ski patrol unit. Following his military service, he studied at the Art Students League in New York under Frank J. Reilly, later building a successful career as an illustrator of Western paperback novels for authors including Louis L’Amour and Max Brand.