Texas artist Frank X. Tolbert 2, a member of Texas' legendary Tolbert family and a painter known for his vivid portraits of birds and other naturalistic subjects, died on July 13; he was 77. His death was confirmed by a family member.

Born December 17, 1945, Tolbert grew up in Dallas' "Disney Streets," then attended Texas Tech University and UNT (back when it was still called North Texas State University), where he was famous on campus for driving a yellow cab.

He married artist Ann Stautberg in 1978 and the couple resided in Houston.

Tolbert had been in dozens of group and solo exhibitions, showing with galleries like William Campbell Contemporary Art, Kirk Hopper Fine Art, Barry Whistler Gallery, and Gerald Peters Gallery. He was part of an early arts scene in Dallas' Deep Ellum, including his participation in a 1989 show art The Art Bar in Deep Ellum called "Big Tex," alongside artists such as Brad Ellis, Bill Haveron, and Albert Scherbarth.

He also worked on a mural at 8.0, the Shannon Wynne restaurant at the Quadrangle.

Grackle Red, 2017, by Frank X. Tolbert 2Courtesy photo

According to Ask Art, his early work was influenced by the traditions of mid-century Texas Modernists like the Dallas Nine, particularly Otis Dozier, with whom he studied. In his more mature paintings, he created narrative works rich with humor, ambiguity, and his own personal iconography.

In 2014, he was commissioned by Flatbed Press & Gallery in Austin to craft a set of etchings of birds. Tolbert subsequently created the Texas Bird Project, a series of naturalistic and bird-themed paintings. His work has been exhibited in the Dallas Museum of Art, Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art, and San Antonio Museum of Art.

The "2" in his name was his whimsical twist on "Junior" or "II": His father Frank X. Tolbert was the longtime Dallas Morning News columnist and chili enthusiast who founded the Terlingua Championship Chili Cook-Off in 1967 and was author of the chili book A Bowl of Red. Father and son together founded Tolbert's Restaurant and Chili Parlor on Main Street in Dallas in 1976; Frank's sister Kathleen Tolbert Ryan began working there in 1977.

The restaurant is now located in a historic building in Grapevine and is run by Kathleen, her husband Paul Ryan, their son Steven Frank Ryan, and their friend Ryan Taxter.