Lieutenant Colonel Brian Gilbert was born in San Jose, California, and earned a degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in 2005.
Brian Gilbert discovered his interest in sketching and painting as an elementary school student, and over the years experimented with oil, pastel, and watercolor. As an active duty Marine and CH-53E helicopter pilot, he produced several watercolor paintings of combat action while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and also of scenes in South Korea while on overseas assignment.