Atwater grew up in Denver, Colorado, and settled in Los Angeles where he worked as an interior decorator.[1] As a hobby he began painting desert landscapes, eventually moving with his wife to a small cabin built for him by advertising executive Ray Morgan on a 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) ranch in Dos Palmas, [California]. Morgan built the retreat for Atwater so he could live among the scenery he painted.[2] In the 1940s Atwater relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico.[3]
Atwater's paintings are noted for their highly contrasted areas of flat color, suggesting the stark beauty of America's southwestern terrain.
