Rhett began his career when he was a teenager. He recalls the event, "I
sold a drawing for $50. I was so happy I marched into Pinkies liquor
store, (3 years before he was of legal drinking age) and purchased a
bottle of wine. I celebrated by sitting on my parents roof, drinking and
eating take out from Pappy's Catfish. To my neighbors dismay, I still
take naps on the roof. Maybe they don't mind too much, they own two
paintings."
Still in high school, Rhett found employment as an
artist assistant, working for internationally recognized artist, Romeo
Reyna. Romeo became Rhett's mentor. It was in Romeo's studio where Rhett
learned the profession of being a professional artist. "I have lived in
million dollar homes and I have lived in my car. The only thing that
mattered was I never stopped creating," Rhett said.
Over thirty
years have passed since Rhett's first drawing sold. Photographs of the
works completed in the past three decades fill volumes of three ring
binders. Rhett shows no sign of slowing down, working throughout the
night several times a week. Rhett relates, "I can't tell you the number
of times I have fallen asleep with a brush in my hand."
