He went to high school and El Camino Community College in Torrence, California. Transferring to Brigham Young University, he graduated from that institution in 1976 before entering the University of Utah's M.F.A. program. It was there, from l919 to l981 that Oberbeck developed a magical and immensely enjoyable view of the city life that is filled with lyrical charm. Indebted to none of his professors in the creation of this particular apprehension of such an environment, today this talented and successful oil painter and watercolorist lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, fellow artist Christina Darais Oberbeck.