Like many other widely recognized fine artists, Bassel Wolfe spent the early part of his career working in the field of commercial illustration. Following his graduation from Texas Tech University in Lubbock with a degree in advertising, Wolfe landed his first job working as a technical illustrator for Chance-Vought Aircraft Company in Grand Prairie, Texas.

A year later, he accepted a job with an advertising firm in Dallas. However, this was the Korean War era, and Uncle Sam had other ideas for the fledgling artist. He spent his stint in the Army at the Presidio in San Francisco, and between military duties, he was able to keep up his interest in art by teaching life-drawing classes in the Bay Area. Wolfe eventually moved to El Paso and has called the city home for nearly four decades. He spent several more years working in the advertising industry before becoming a full time artist in 1981.

Wolfe got his start in art as a farm boy in Oklahoma. He fondly remembers his father giving him an old slate chalkboard from a local schoolhouse that became one of the first surfaces upon which he drew. Living next to the famous 101 Ranch and two Indian reservations served as a major influence on his love for Western subject matter. Although he has never worked as a cowboy, Wolfe frequently visits working ranches, taking hundreds of photographs that depict both unique livestock such as the traditional Texas Longhorn, and the rapidly vanishing images of activities on a contemporary working ranch. Wolfe confides that he received some of his most precise training in Western imagery when he was a teenager. "Rodeos are a primary form of entertainment in many of the small western towns, and I got the bright idea that I could make some money on a summer job painting banners in the windows of local stores advertising the information about the rodeo. Believe me, the local ranchers were my most discerning critics. I learned a lot in three short summers about the confirmation of a horse and proper western tack. "

The artist has also had a life-long fascination with painting the human figure. "Even though I love the subject as much as I do, figurative images can be one of the most demanding subjects I portray. Most people are not experts on the anatomy of a horse, but all they have to do is look in a mirror to find out how a person is put together".

Diversity of subject matter is one of the most interesting concepts of Wolfe’s work. His award winning oils and pastels include images of desert landscapes, working cowboys, delicate nudes, sunny-faced children and even lush florals. He notes that for an artist’s life is filled with fascinating subjects, and he hates to miss out on a good picture by limiting his interests.