Born in South Dakota and raised in Central Washington, William F. Reese painted for over 50 years. He studied fine art at Washington State College and the Art Center School of Design in Los Angeles. He worked as a sign painter and a sign pictorial artist for thirteen years, in Washington, Oregon, and California while he was building a following for his easel paintings. In 1971, he left the sign business to work full time in his studio in Bellevue, Washington, where he also taught privately the art of drawing and painting
Reese’s imagery spans majestic landscapes, delicate still lifes, and chronicled the lives of the men, women and creatures that inhabited the Northwest. Primarily known for his plein air painting, he worked in a variety of mediums including oil, watercolor, pastels, lithography, etchings, and bronze.
He has received many national and regional awards including the Robert Lougheed Gold Medal from the National Western Heritage Museum, two silver medals from the National Parks Academy for the Arts, and the Best of Show Colonel Smith Award from the National Wildlife Art Museum.
(1938 – 2010)