Ace Powell was born April 3, 1912 in
Tulerosa, N.M. He loving quipped at times that he was "sired by
a cowboy and foaled by a schoolteacher." When he was a month old,
they moved to Montana. He and his 7 brothers and sisters grew up in
the area of Apgar, Glacier National Park, where his father worked as
a wrangler. It was here he met Charles Russell and was given his first
introduction to art and was enthralled.
When he was 15, he was boarded out to go to school in
Browning, Mt. This is where he wanted to go, to be near the Indians.
It was then that he met and became friends with a man who was later
to become a renowned sculptor, Bob Scriver.
Ace was extremely interested in the Indian, especially
the Blackfeet and not only lived with them, he studied their ethnology.
He was particularly interested in contemporary Indian and their contracts
and conflicts with the Whitman.
He also had a great love of horses, which he never lost.
When he was 21, he went to work for Bar x6, which at the time was the
largest saddle horse company in the country.
Ace was extremely adept at woodcarving and he himself
consider himself, a "carver first and a painter second." He
adopted the Ace of Diamonds trademark at the suggestion of artist Joe
DeYoung, who suggested he use an artist "brand" of his own.
Already known as Ace, he chose the Ace of Diamonds because it was easiest
to paint.