During his time in New York, he was exposed to many personalities, influences, and works of art. At that time, his unique style of figure painting and sculpture was not appreciated by the New York art world, so he experimented with a variety of styles and media. He returned to Dallas in 1977 and completed his graduate degree at SMU. He studied several periods of art history as a part of his program and renewed a lifelong interest in folk art. He admired the folk artists subject matter drawn from everyday life and surroundings.,p> Bates first visited Grassy Lake in southwestern Arkansas in 1982. This place immediately began to influence his art.