A realist painter of western subjects, Russ Vickers was born in Paris, Texas, and was the son of a horse trader. He served in the Marines during World War II and later worked as a combat artist in Korea.

Vickers spent nearly twenty years as a technical illustrator for the aerospace industry in Los Angeles while painting western scenes in his spare time. In 1970, he completed a correspondence course through the Famous Artists School and began exhibiting in Sedona. From 1973 onward, he lived in Tempe, Arizona, where he devoted himself to painting full time.

Vickers is credited as the artist behind the paintings shown in the opening and ending credits of the film Chisum, starring John Wayne. One memorable painting depicts a lone horseman beneath a sparse tree gazing across the land before transitioning into the film’s opening scene.