Garland was born in Amarillo, Texas, in 1942, reared in Wichita Falls, and graduated from high school there in 1961. He then attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, graduating in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics. Garland pursued his rodeo career in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association until 1973 after having served the U.S. Army in the 73rd Signal Battalion in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, in 1968-1969. Garland began sculpting as a hobby in 1970 and continued this moonlighting activity while also being actively engaged in the cattle feeding industry as a market analyst, commodity broker, and agricultural economist. In 1978, Garland took the plunge into making art full-time and has never looked back. He has lived, worked, and sculpted in California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, etc. honing his skills. He finally established his studio and home in Lubbock in 2000, where he is happily living and sculpting on the high plains of Texas.