Another Biography:

Born in Santa Barbara, CA on Nov. 10, 1917, a descendant of the California vaqueros. At an early age Firfires began riding horses and drawing cowboy subjects. He worked with horses until age 24 and then moved to Los Angeles to study at the Art Center and Otis Art Institute. Following service in WWII, he was a successful illustrator of western magazines until 1957; he then devoted himself to easel paintings. From his studio in Santa Barbara came an abundance of figure studies, western genre, and various other subjects. Depressed due to the death of his wife, he died of a self-inflicted bullet wound on Sept. 22, 1990. Member: Cowboy Artists of America. Exh: Biltmore Gallery (LA), 1960, 1966 (solos); Saddleback Inn (Santa Ana), 1969; Cowboy Hall of Fame, 1969 (silver medal).

Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
Artists of the American West (Samuels); American Western Art (Harmsen); The Cowboy in Art (Ainsworth); Santa Barbara News Press, 9-25-1990 (obituary).