Gilbert Trent was born and reared in Chester, Virginia. He graduated from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia with a degree in art education. His strong passion for adventure and curiosity landed him in Ghana, West Africa in 1980 as a Peace Corps volunteer.

He began working in stained glass and was commissioned to restore and designed windows for the Anacostia Museum, “Speak to My Heart”, exhibit in 1998. His passion for painting resurged and propelled him to apply for New York University’s graduate program in Venice, Italy. Trent studied there for two consecutive summers and concluded the program in New York in 2003.

Trent relocated to the Washington DC metropolitan area in 1986 and soon thereafter, began his art teaching career. He continues to teach studio and digital art in the private sector and is a former resident artist at the Arlington Arts Center in Arlington, Virginia.