Bill was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1938. Since the late 50’s Bill Powell dabbled in art and sculpture, producing his own work and using his entrepreneurial skills to promote fellow artists. He started out with street art shows and concerts and as his business acumen grew he opened coffeehouses, art galleries, published magazines, organized craft shows, festivals and touring exhibits. For 25 years he created and ran the nationally recognized art extravaganza, Festival of Friends, and for stretches of time during those years, his painting career was set aside. However, since 2000 he has been able to devote fulltime to his real passion – painting.

Bill is primarily self-taught with a short stint at the Ontario College of Art. However, it was in the 60’s, under the tutelage of artist, Andy Stritof, and with the opening of a studio in downtown Hamilton that Bill began to develop his true artistic potential. His first major one-man show was at the Art Gallery of Hamilton in 1974. Other shows followed in Toronto and Guadalajara, Mexico. He was an inaugural member of The Tiger Group.

Initially Powell produced watercolors that incorporated unique physical and chemical bleed techniques. Later acrylics became the main focus and it was not until 1996 that he discovered his new love – oils. Bill’s work ranges from post impressionism to contemporary abstraction as he explores still life, landscapes, musicians at work, florals, and figurative story scapes.

For Bill Powell's resume - click here