Frank Hettick (Born in 1937) was born in Tillamook, Oregon. He followed the footsteps of many other space artists of his time. His interest in astronomical and space art began at age13 when he looked at the fantastic illustrations by Chesley Bonestell and Willy Ley in a copy of "The Conquest Of Space." The illustrations encouraged him to begin drawing his own space scenes. He later enrolled in the high school art classes where he began painting. His first medium of choice was tempera but he later changed to oils. He recalls that being the 2nd tallest boy in high school, he found himself in the basketball team, but he soon gave up so as to spend more time on his part-time jobs. He also remembers working on his space art until late into the night after which he would sleep for just a few hours before waking to start the whole schedule over again.
He graduated in 1955 after completing several dozen oil paintings. Hettick was very successful because he recognized the necessity of working hard to earn a "real" living and so, he soon became the youngest real estate appraiser in Oregon. He spent almost 12 years as a commercial-industrial with the State Department of Revenue in 5 different counties of Oregon appraiser after which he moved to a career in the private sector. Hettick’s efforts in the development of commercial real estate resulted in many large retail and shopping center projects. In 1971 he worked with a Chicago publisher, traveled through Central and North America conducting lectures and seminars, and wrote a book.
