Forced to choose between his interest in art and natural history, Art chose the latter for his university studies and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, N.B. Canada in 1961 and did graduate work at McGill University in Montreal for 3 years. He taught at McGill, the University of Victoria, and the University of New Brunswick before establishing a biological supply and consulting business in 1964. Over the last 50 years or so, his work has included the collection and supply of living marine organisms for schools, universities and research establishments around the world. His consulting activities have been broad and range from the primary development of marine inventories from Newfoundland to Maine, environmental monitoring and mitigation for nuclear power plants, oil refineries, gas pipelines and other industrial developments. He is credited with establishing the first successful Atlantic salmon sea farms in New Brunswick and Maine. His professional work has taken him to the United States, Canada, Norway, Thailand, and India. Today, he is retired and building an archive of his work and associations.

Art has an extensive background in publishing, printing, graphic design and displays construction and has devoted recent years to sharpening his computer and artistic skills.