Born in Tahoka, Texas about 160 miles northwest of San Angelo, in 1934. After a tour of duty with the Marines, where he worked as an architectural draftsman, designing posters and building plans, he returned to San Angelo.

In 1959 Gill moved to Austin to study at The University of Texas before taking a position as an architectural designer in Odessa, where he started to paint seriously.

Gill moved to Los Angeles in the early ‘60s. Here he experienced a rapid ascent in the art world, getting his work into major collections such as New York’s museum of Modern Art and receiving commissions such as the cover of Time magazine in 1968.

In 1968 he was even commissioned to paint the cover of Time Magazine. Gill’s work was routinely exhibited alongside acclaimed artists such as Edward Hopper, Lichtenstein and Warhol.