Imperial Artist Armando Villarreal credits teachers along the way for success

In first grade, Armando Villarreal created a Dallas Cowboys crayon drawing that went to the Nebraska State Art Show. 

“I knew I was going to be an artist ever since then,” said Villarreal. “There was never a plan b.”

Today, after many ups and downs along the way, he is a full-time professional artist working and raising a family in the same southwest Nebraska town that he grew up in.

From his first art teacher at Imperial Elementary School, to his art instructor at McCook Community College, he credits them for teaching him the skills that were needed to build a decorated career.

At Chase County High School Dik Haneline, currently a Mid-Plains Community College art instructor in North Platte, taught him the rules of art.

“He’s the one who introduced me to airbrushing and always entertained my ideas. Through this whole journey he has always been there. Even now, I can text him, ask him questions, and get his opinion to see what he thinks,” Villareal said.

During his junior year of high school, Haneline brought his students to the McCook Community College Paint-In. Villarreal won best of show.

A year later MCC Art Instructor Don Dernovich offered Villarreal a scholarship to attend MCC.

“Mid-Plains is a natural progression from high school,” Villarreal shared. While he was there, he was able to learn what needed to be done to take his art to the next level.

“Don gave me a better idea of how to be a professional artist and how to make money,” Villarreal said. "I learned how to present my art and how to sell it.”

 In 1997 Villarreal joined the Army Reserves with a buddy.

He spent a semester at Ft. Hays State and went on to study art at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

While he was in Lincoln, he was the youngest artist to win the Nebraska Habitat Stamp, which he went on to win a handful more times. He also got a call to serve in Kosovo.

Spending nine months in a war-torn country was life-changing Villarreal recalled. “That’s where the military art started.”

While overseas, he corresponded with his friend Lora from back home, whom he had worked with as a teenager at the local ice-cream shop. They would continue to correspond when he was called to serve again, this time in Iraq.

During his 16-month deployment, after getting a blessing from Lora’s father to propose, they hiked to the top of Neuschwanstein Castle where she said yes to Villarreal’s proposal to marriage.

Before starting their family, the newlyweds continued to pursue Villarreal’s dream of becoming a full-time artist upon his return from his military service. 

Villarreal took on various jobs to pay the bills. He painted motorcycles in Florida that won the most prestigious awards in the world. Next, he and Lora moved to California for a car painting adventure.

“I ended up working with all these people who are the best in the world at what they do,” Villarreal said.

On a whim he found an ad from a sports art company in Los Angeles. He was hired as their lead artist and created masterpieces for Mohammed Ali, the NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL and Indianapolis 500.

His rockstar moment was attending the Kansas City Royals FanFest with his family to unveil the World Series painting. After addressing the 5,000 fans there, they were flown to the Super Bowl, where Villarreal spent a week creating live artwork in the media center.

But with all the excitement, he wasn’t fulfilled.

In 2018 he recalls a life-changing moment when a representative from Schutt called and asked if he would be interested in painting football helmets.

They did 220 that year. This year they will be custom painting close to 600 helmets.

“I was born to do this. My whole life had led up to the point where it all came together to do football helmets,” he said.

Over the years he has hand-painted custom helmets for Mississippi State University, Utah, BYU, University of Central Florida, University of Maryland, University of Tennessee, University of Pittsburgh and the University of Illinois.

“I want my art to mean something more than just being something pretty on the wall and I want to be able to give back somehow,” Villarreal said.

Warrior Rising, a non-profit helping transform Veterans, is an opportunity for Villarreal to make a difference. Each year he provides a helmet to auction off and paints a gift for their guest speakers. He has created gifts for Marcus Luttrell, Nate Bargatze and Martha Stewart.

“I’m a very firm believer in hard work. Hard work always led to the next thing and hard work put me in a position where I had opportunities I would never have otherwise.”

That hard work has earned him a long list of accolades and honors, including an Emmy Award.

His advice to students is to dream big, work hard.

“You have to work hard to put yourself into the position that luck can happen,” he smiled.

He tells his own kids that starting out a community college is an excellent option.

“I think Mid-Plains is great,” Villereal said. “It’s a wonderful thing to have locally, and if you’re not ready to take that big step you can start out small.”

That’s exactly what he did.

“I don’t want to be an artist; I am an artist. I am a dad, and I am a husband.”

And he knows he is right where he is supposed to be.