Calvin was born in Mars Hill, NC, in 1935 and grew up in nearby Marshall. He attended Carson-Newman College and Appalachian State University, and served with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division. After his military service, he moved to New York City and worked on Wall Street. He married, moved to Florida and had three children.

Calvin returned to Western North Carolina in the late 1960s, putting down roots in Asheville. He owned Asheville Book Store and then Cal’s Corner produce stand, and eventually settled in as a butcher at Ingles supermarket. He married again and had his fourth child. He now has three grandchildren.

At the suggestion of his longtime auto mechanic, Calvin picked up his first paintbrush at age 56. Contrast and a vivid color palate marked his work from day one. He paints mostly from memory, combining places and things that have left a deep impression on him. The pattern of hay bales arrayed across rolling hills. The colors of a hot summer day. The tactile impression of plump, ripe produce. Calvin’s intuitive nature drives his creative process. Often he doesn’t know exactly what he is painting when he begins a piece. He discovers the scene along the way, pulling shapes and shades from his mind and fitting them together. His gut tells him when he has gotten it right.

Calvin retired recently from Ingles. Customers will miss his paintings, which for years brightened the walls of the meat department.