Marc Desobeau is an artist whose passion for railroads is vividly seen in his paintings. Marc was born in 1962 and resides with his wife Glenna in Ogden, Utah. He recently retired from the Union Pacific Railroad after a safe and successful 33 years of service. Prior to that he enjoyed working for the Durango and Silverton Railroad and the Roaring Camp Railroads. This firsthand experience with trains and control of the the artistic medium produce exceptional railroad portraits.

Early in his childhood Marc Desobeau’s life ambitions formed – Now those ambitions have been achieved. His love of trains first started with the train rides his grandfather, a Southern Pacific Railroad Locomotive Engineer, would give him at age four. A few years later, after spending his allowance money to buy an oil paint set, Desobeau discovered his second ambition: Painting. At the age of twelve, Marc won a painting scholarship to a painting academy, which he attended for three years. He continues to study painting through self-teaching and home study. He also studies the work of other railroad artists/illustrators past and present. These notables include Grif Teller, Terence Cuneo, Howard Fogg, Ted Rose, John Coker, and Gil Bennett to name a few.

Marc searches for the artistic view of the industrial railroad image and integrates it with the natural beauty of the land, atmosphere, and surroundings. This challenge of mixing nature and industry drives Marc to his studio and waiting paints and brushes. A streamlined passenger train cutting through the mountains, the nation's freight rolling along a river, or a steam locomotive just getting underway are images of our lives, and Desobeau loves capturing those moments in time.

Marc’s work is used in railroad related trade publications, greeting cards, puzzles, quilts, and on book covers. Corporations and private individuals from around the world collect Marc’s original paintings. He has participated in small group and private shows across the country. For more information contact Marc at: (801) 589-3196