| Growing up in southern California, artist Bill
Cramer always had an interest in exploring nature and art. Creating things came naturally to him and was an ever-present aspect of his youth. As an experienced rock climber, he spent much of his earlier years enjoying the more vertical
places of the American west. This gave him a perspective of the world that few others would ever experience.
Bill received a fine arts degree
from California State University Long Beach in 1989, and later moved to Prescott, Arizona with his wife Michelle to be closer to the scenery they both enjoyed. After struggling for a time with what to do with his artistic abilities, Bill
discovered the joys and challenges of landscape painting. His outdoor experiences have provided much of the insight and inspiration expressed in his art.
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Bill Cramer and Daughter Sarah |
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He draws further artistic energy from the great California Impressionists and Western landscape painters of the early 1900’s. Whether
working en plein air or in the studio, Bill prefers a direct method of oil painting. Paint is applied with the intention of letting it stand as part of the final statement, linking shape, color and value in a single action, rather than the
traditional building up of an image with several thin layers of paint. It is an intuitive process where the mixing of colors can take place on both pallet and canvas.
The artist finds that the results, sometimes unpredictable but always exciting, are a good match to the spontaneity found in nature. “I am
satisfied when a painting is as rich as the landscape that inspired it. My goal is to keep exploring the southwest’s wild places searching for new ideas and to express what I find exciting about landscapes and about painting.” Today
with his wife and two daughters, Sarah and Megan, Bill divides his time between family, art and outdoor pursuits. |
