Harlan D. Whatley is a Louisiana native who resides in Texas. WHatley holds a BA in English from the College of Charleston, an MA in English from the University of Texas - Permian Basin and an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College of the City University of New York. His academic research and writings have been published in various journals and presented at conferences worldwide.

Whatley has taught Communication, English and Media in the People's Republic of China, the United Arab Emirates, New York City and Texas.

Whatley is a practicing artist in the State of Texas and markets his contemporary Western works via the PopArt Cowboy brand. His clients include the Pop artists, Peter Mars and Andew Walker, Curator of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.^[1]