| Born William Howland Neukomm in 1972 in Town and Country, Missouri, Bill began his figurative studies at the St. Louis Artists' Guild while still in high school. At the Kansas City Art Institute, Bill continued to draw and paint the figure, drawing more than thirty self portraits. While ultimately receiving his B.F.A. in graphic design, drawing remained an important part of Bill's work. Back in St. Louis, Bill returned to the St. Louis Artists' Guild where he met Billyo O'Donnell and Jason Dowd, two artists who helped tremendously in the development of his painting. Work took Bill to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he spent more than 10 years as a designer creating award-winning posters and campaigns. All the while, Bill continued to paint portraits, self portraits, and still life paintings. A summer course with Dana Levin at the Florence Academy of Art, and another with David Leffel at the Art Students League of New York, helped convince Bill that a return to school was necessary to achieve the skills he desired. In 2010 Bill quit his job, sold most of his possessions, uprooted his wife and children, and enrolled in the Florence Academy of Art, where he is pursuing his interest in realist painting. A firm believer in the importance of craft in art, Bill has continually sought out artists, past and present, from whom he could learn and improve. It is his belief that the skills aquired through rigorous observation of nature are as essential to the painter as a firm command of language is to the writer. By studying the masters and methods of the past, and seeking universal truths and beauty, Bill hopes to create timeless drawings and paintings which communicate with a contemporary audience. Education: 2010-2011 Florence Academy of Art, directed by Daniel Graves, Florence, Italy. |