Fetherolf was born in Pennsylvania and he attended Syracuse University. After graduating he was trying to became an actor in Hollywood but soon he realize that his future in arts lay in painting, working part time job for Twentieth Century Fox.
He worked for Walt Disney Productions too, where he produced detailed paintings on glass, three or four feet in size ,of cities or landscapes .These "matte shots" appeared in classic films as Zorro, Pollyanna, Mary Poppins ,and Third Man on the Mountain.
On 1969 he left the film industry and turned to fine art. His paintings are also distinguished by clarity of detail.
