Born in Long Island, NY in 1948, Spike Ress had early exposure to the world of commercial art through visits to his maternal grandfather's studio at Grand Central Station. Though his Air Force family moved from place to place, these early impressions never left him. In the 1960s the Ress family transferred to Roswell, New Mexico. It was there Ress began his art career at the age of sixteen working for a local sign company. With his strong interest in art and a passion for learning he quickly gained the skills needed to advance into ever better poisitions in new locations, eventually becoming art director for a major sign company in Las Vegas, Nevada.