Mr. Grainger began collecting art in the 1990s. He was particularly attracted to paintings with texture and pattern. "I found that certain works of art moved me emotionally, and those were the pieces that I purchased," he recently stated. "I have a deep attachment to every work of art in this collection. While not unaware of the investment side of art collecting, that was not what drove me." Mr. Grainger gave a lot of credit for guidance along the often difficult path of collecting to Camille Lyons, owner of the Lyons Matrix Gallery in Austin (now closed.) "Camille was very important in guiding me," he said. "She taught me the importance of coherency in building an art collection. She was an absolute joy to work with."

The works of art in this collection were by eleven American and two European artists, all contemporary and many with Texas connections. In the group were figurative and abstract paintings, prints, and sculptures by artists Tré Arenz, Christian Caburet (French), Michael Ray Charles, Larry Graeber, Sam Gummelt, Ulrike Hogrebe (German), Valerie Jaudon, Otis Jones, Melissa Miller, David Row, Susan Whyne, June Wilson, and Sydney Yeager.