William Willis (born 1943) is an American

abstract Abstract may refer to: * ''Abstract'' (album), 1962 album by Joe Harriott * Abstract of title a summary of the documents affecting title to parcel of land * Abstract (law), a summary of a legal document * Abstract (summary), in academic publishi ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

Biography

Willis was born in 1943 in Sheffield, Alabama. He lives on the coast of Maryland, and works in Washington, D.C.Johnson, Linda. "The Art of William Willis." "Span", August, 1990. Print. He usually makes paintings and works on paper in muted colors as

abstractions Abstraction in its main sense is a conceptual process wherein general rules and concepts are derived from the usage and classification of specific examples, literal ("real" or "concrete") signifiers, first principles, or other methods. "An abstr ...

of the natural world.

Eastern philosophy Eastern philosophy or Asian philosophy includes the various philosophies that originated in East and South Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Korean philosophy, and Vietnamese philosophy; which are dominant in East Asia, ...

and religion influenced his work in the 1980s. 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 The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design (known as the Corcoran School or CSAD) is the professional art school of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC.Peggy McGloneUniversity names first director of Corcoran School of the Arts and ...

.Johnson, Eric. "An eye for art." "Metro Spirit", 2007. Retrieved on 16 August 2010.

Education

Willis received a BA in

studio art An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-seco ...

and an MFA in painting from the University of South Florida, Tampa."Faculty Biographies - William Willis."
"Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival", 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2012. In 2010 he was appointed to a five-year professorship as William S. Morris Eminent Scholar in Art at

Augusta State University Augusta State University was a public university in Augusta, Georgia. It merged with Georgia Health Sciences University in 2012 to form Georgia Regents University, later known as Augusta University. History Augusta State University was founded ...

."Full-Time Art Faculty.

''

Department of Art'', Augusta, GA, 2011. Retrieved on 13 June 2012.

Recognition

He has received awards and grants from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Vermont Studio Center, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the

Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) is a multimedia contemporary art gallery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. SECCA has no permanent collection but offers exhibitions of works by artists with regional, national, and internation ...

, the University of Maryland, and the Maryland State Arts Council.

Notes

References

*Frankel, David. "William Willis: Howard Scott Gallery.

'' Artforum'', New York, October 2001. Retrieved on 13 June 2012. *"Full-Time Art Faculty.

''

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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, William American abstract artists 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 1943 births Living people Painters from Washington, D.C. Painters from Alabama People from Sheffield, Alabama 20th-century American male artists