Bill's Inspiration
Biography
Inspiration has always come to me from nature in all its variations: animals of all kinds, ocean, beach, river, lake, desert, mountain, and the human form.
I have been drawing since I was a child. My first love in art was always wildlife (lots of dinosaurs!). My parents bought all the wildlife and nature books I asked for as I continued to enjoy creating art. Watercolor was the focus through the 80’s and 90’s, being pursued as a relaxing “serious” hobby.
I grew up in Southern California in the city of Long Beach, married my high school sweetheart, Kit, and have two beautiful daughters, Brooke and Jody. I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design from CA State University at Long Beach in 1978. We moved to San Jose in 1982 to take advantage of opportunities in Silicon Valley. In 2003, with our girls in college, an opportunity for me to retire and a promotion/relocation opportunity for Kit occurred simultaneously. We decided to sell our home in San Jose and moved to El Dorado Hills, CA. It was there that I pursued my future painting goals.
I have always been intrigued by impressionist paintings from both the past and today. I bought a book that had the oil painting techniques I was looking for. After practicing many lessons from the book, I went to the Internet to try to find workshops to learn more. Serendipitously I found a link to Susan Sarback (see “Contacts”) and her internationally renowned “School of Light and Color” in Fair Oaks, CA, only 16 miles from my home in El Dorado Hills.
Susan Sarback founded the School of Light and Color in 1986. She is internationally recognized as a master in the use of color and the luminous “full spectrum painting” technique that Impressionist Monet used when he painted. She has taught painting workshops and classes throughout the U.S. and Europe including animators from DreamWorks animation studios, art instructors, and professional artists.
I spent most of 2004-2005 taking classes at the School of Light and Color learning the skills I needed to pursue my goals. In 2006 I began showing and selling my work at juried fine art fairs throughout CA.
By 2007 I was teaching “beginning and advanced drawing” classes and “beginning painting” classes at the School of Light and Color. I also began assisting Susan Sarback at her annual Napa painting workshops, attended by students from all over the U.S.
My Process
To keep colors rich and pure, the majority of my work is oil paint applied by palette knife. Some paintings are all brush application, and some are a combination of palette knife and brush. Unless noted otherwise, most work is “en plein air” which means painting outside, on location, to capture truer color and light in an impressionist manner. Nearly all color mixing is done wet-in-wet on canvas or canvas covered board.
