STATEMENT
"The reason abstract art poses such an enormous challenge to the beholder is that it teaches us to look at art — and, in a sense, at the world — in a new way. Abstract art dares our visual system to interpret an image that is fundamentally different from the kind of images our brain has evolved to reconstruct..." -Eric Kandel
My painting process can be thought of as a continual dance between intuition and intention, never afraid to change directions at any point until the true path of the painting is revealed. This method of creating allows for the production of paintings that can be thought of like a collection of songs on an album, each different, but built from a common language uniquely mine. I have an affinity for aspects of science, philosophy, and psychology guiding my visual aesthetic towards the subtle implication of familiar organic form and line that embody enough ambiguity to invite multiple references.
Working as a photo retoucher for over 15 years, I've been asked to use my artistic eye to craft and manipulate photographs of other peoples' visions, in a very realistic and representational way. This half of my artistic career influences my studio activity, as it shapes my desire to work in a completely abstract manner, allowing myself the freedom to conjure my own internal 'realities'.
BIO
William (Bill to most all) was born in New Brunswick, NJ into a family already brimming with four little children. He and his family lived in the areas surrounding New York City through adolescence. Bill’s love for drawing and art was founded and nourished during the long days of driving on many family camping vacations of his youth. His desire to further explore his creative streak led him to pursue a B.A. in both Studio Arts and Psychology at the State University of NY College at Oswego, on the shores of Lake Ontario.
Bill headed south to the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and the intimate graduate program of Clemson University to continue his studies in the Fine Arts. At Clemson, he was awarded the Emerging Artist of the Year, 1995 from the Liquitex Excellence in Art Student Grant Program. This honor was juried from a pool of art students from over 120 nations around the world. This distinction carried with it a purchase award for the Binney & Smith Corporate collection and a group exhibition in the heart of New York City for all eight winners that year.
Throughout the years since the award, Bill has made it a priority to find studio space to continue his exploration of painting while also utilizing his attention to detail and artistic eye to become a Master Photo Retoucher. Today, Bill lives and maintains a studio in Wilmette, a vibrant suburb of Chicago located on the north shore of Lake Michigan. His studio continues to be an active venue for the meshing of life experiences and free-form creativity into a unique blend of ‘form-centric’ abstractions of color and line.
CV
Education
MFA-Visual Arts from Clemson University, Clemson SC 1995
BA-Studio Arts from State University of New York College at Oswego 1991
BA-Psychology from State University of New York College at Oswego 1991
Honors and Awards
First Place, Vi Fogel Uretz Award in the Painting Division, 57th St. Art Fair, Chicago, IL 2019
First Place, Art Affair, Windermere FL 2018
Anne Flynn Memorial Award in Abstract Art, Art in the Square, Lake Forest IL 2017
Best In Show award at Bucktown Arts Fest, Chicago IL 2016
Honorable Mention award at Art in the Village exhibition, Winnetka IL 2016.
Honorable Mention award at Hinsdale Fine Art Festival, Hinsdale IL 2016.
First Place award in Painting at the Glenview Summer Art Fair, Glenview, IL 2015
Second Place award at Art in the Village exhibition, Winnetka IL 2015.
Honorable Mention award at Art in the Village exhibition, Winnetka IL 2014.
Selected as a Showcase winner for Abstraction in each round (1-8) of the ArtSlant Prize 2013.
Liquitex Excellence in Art: Emerging Artist of the Year,1995 from Binney & Smith Co.
Purchase Award-Excellence in Art: Emerging Artist of the Year, 1995 from Binney & Smith Co.
Exhibitions
2019 57th Street Art Fair, Chicago IL
2018 Carmel International Art Fest, Carmel IN
2018 Art on the Square, Lake Forest IL
2018 Bucktown Arts Fest, Chicago IL
2018 Art at the Glen, Glenview IL
2018 Glencoe Festival of Art, Glencoe IL
2018 Pearl St. Arts Fest, Boulder CO
2018 Paseo Arts Festival, Oklahoma City
2018 ArtFest by the Sea, Juno Beach FL
2018 Art Affair, Windermere FL
2017 Art on the Square, Lake Forest IL
2017 Bucktown Arts Fest, Chicago, IL
2017 Art on the Square, Madison WI
2017 Art in the Village, Winnetka IL
2017 57th Street Art Fair, Chicago IL
2016 Bucktown Arts Fest, Chicago, IL
2016 Uptown Art Fair, Minneapolis MN
2016 Art in the Park, Northbrook IL
2016 Art in the Village, Winnetka IL
2016 Hinsdale Fine Art Festival, Hinsdale IL
2016 57th Street Art Fair, Chicago IL
2016 Summer Art Attack-2016. Susan Kroeger LTD, Winnetka IL
2015 Art Attack-2015. Susan Kroeger LTD, Winnetka IL
2015 North Shore Art League Member Show, Winnetka IL
2015 Glenview Summer Art Fair, Glenview IL
2015 Ann Arbor Street Art Fair-The Original, Ann Arbor MI
2015 Art in the Village, Winnetka, IL
2015 Old Town Art Fair, Chicago IL
2014 Abstract Show III, Brickton Art Center, Park Ridge IL
2014 North Shore Art League Member Show, Winnetka IL
2014 Unbound(ed), Morpho Gallery, Chicago IL
2014 Art in the Village, Winnetka, IL
2014 Old Town Art Fair, Chicago IL
2014 Spring Exhibition, Red Poppy Studios and Gallery, Lafayette IN
2013 Fall Exhibition, Red Poppy Studio and Gallery, Lafayette IN
2013 North Shore Art League Member Show, Winnetka IL
2013 Summer Dreams, Red Poppy Studio and Gallery, Lafayette IN
2013 Gallery Artists in April, Red Poppy Studio and Gallery, Lafayette IN
2013 Gallery Artists in February, Red Poppy Studios and Gallery, Lafayette IN
2013 Surf and Turf- WSG Gallery, Ann Arbor MI
2012 Holiday Show- WSG Gallery, Ann Arbor MI
2012 How The Day Changes With The Light- WSG Gallery, Ann Arbor MI
2012 Line and Motion- WSG Gallery, Ann Arbor MI
2012 Gallery Artists, Red Poppy Studio and Gallery, Lafayette IN
2012 WAG Member Exhibition- State Farm Gallery, Wilmette IL
2012 WAG Member Exhibition- Wilmette IL
2011 Holiday Show- WSG Gallery, Ann Arbor MI
2011 Beyond Books- WSG Gallery, Ann Arbor MI
2011 Large Works- Wilmette Arts Guild, Wilmette IL
2011 16 + 16- WSG Gallery, Ann Arbor MI
2011 Selected Artists- Artful Sol, Vail CO
2009 Select Artists-Main Gallery, Xanadu Gallery, Scottsdale AZ
2009 Studio Artists-Online Gallery, Xanadu Gallery, Scottsdale AZ
1998 Group Show, Main Gallery Company, Greenville SC
1995 Masters of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, Rudolph E. Lee Gallery, Clemson University, Clemson SC
1995 Liquitex Excellence in Art Student Grant Program’s Purchase Award Exhibition,
American Council for the Arts, New York NY.
Selected Collections
Binney & Smith Co. Inc., Easton PA
Rudolph E. Lee Gallery, Clemson University, Clemson SC
Numerous Private Collections
Publications
Art in America. Artwork displayed in “Excellence in Art- Liquitex Award Recipients,”
New York NY May 1995.
From Imitation to Invention: A Journey Towards Abstraction. Thesis manuscript, Clemson University Press, Clemson SC 1995.