William Willis (artist)

William Willis (born 1943) is an American abstract painter.

William Willis
Born 1943 (1943)
Sheffield, Alabama
Nationality American
Known for Painting, Drawing, Mixed-Media
Movement Abstract

Biography

Born in Sheffield, Alabama in 1943, William Willis lives on the Maryland shore and works in Washington, D.C.[1] He is best known for creating paintings and works on paper in muted colors as abstractions of the natural world.[1] The influences of Eastern philosophy and religion began to take hold in Willis's life and artwork beginning in 1979 and impacted his mode of working through the 1980s.[1] In Washington, D.C., Willis exhibited a dozen years of his work at the Phillips Collection in 1989 and also taught at the Corcoran School of Art.[1][2] Willis is represented by Howard Scott Gallery in New York City and Hemphill Fine Arts in Washington, D.C.[3][4]

Education

Willis received his B.A. in studio art and his M.F.A. in painting from the University of South Florida, Tampa.[5] In 2010, the Augusta State University Art Department named Willis a William S. Morris Eminent Scholar in Art, thereby granting him a five-year professorship reserved for artists of international prestige.[2][6]

Recognition

Willis has garnered numerous awards and grants from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Vermont Studio Center, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, the University of Maryland, and the Maryland State Arts Council.[5]

Art in public collections

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Solo exhibitions

Early career (1976-1980)

  • 1976: Gallery 641, Washington, D.C.
  • 1976: The Athenaeum
  • 1977: Diane Brown Gallery, Washington, D.C.
  • 1979: Diane Brown Gallery, Washington, D.C.

1980s

1990s

2000s

  • 2000: Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, D.C.
  • 2001: Howard Scott Gallery, New York, NY
  • 2004: Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, D.C.
  • 2004: Howard Scott Gallery, New York, NY
  • 2005: Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, D.C.
  • 2012: Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, D.C.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Johnson, Linda. "The Art of William Willis." "Span", August, 1990. Print.
  2. 1 2 Johnson, Eric. "An eye for art." "Metro Spirit", 2007. Retrieved on 16 August 2010.
  3. ↑ "Recent paintings and works on paper: William Willis." , Howard Scott Gallery, New York, January, 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  4. ↑ "William Willis." Washington, D.C., Hemphill Fine Arts
  5. 1 2 "Faculty Biographies - William Willis." "Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival", 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "Full-Time Art Faculty." , Augusta State University Department of Art, Augusta, GA, 2011. Retrieved on 13 June 2012.

References

  • Frankel, David. "William Willis: Howard Scott Gallery." , ArtForum, New York, October 2001. Retrieved on 13 June 2012.
  • "Full-Time Art Faculty." , Augusta State University Department of Art, Augusta, GA, 2011. Retrieved on 13 June 2012.
  • Moore, Margaret. "On the Cover: William Willis, painter." "Hemisphere", September, 2004. Print.
  • Protzman, Ferdinand. "William Willis: Abstract and Real." "The Washington Post", Washington, DC, 12 October 2000. Print.
  • "William Willis." , Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont, October 2010. Retrieved on 13 June 2012.
  • "William Willis (1943 -)." , AskART, 2012. Retrieved on 13 June 2012.
  • "William Willis: Paintings and Drawings." , Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA, 21 October 2011. Retrieved on 13 June 2012.
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