Bill Harris has worked primarily in oil on canvas. His subjects have ranged from silent narratives to still lifes, intimate portraits to large-scale murals, all of which investigate the effects of color, light, and line.From the Artist
I began my professional artistic career as an instructor of art in the D.C. Public School School System. I, soon, embarked on a journey to become a craftsman by having a mentor teach me the art of woodturning. During the time I spent completing my mentorship, I learned additional woodworking skills. I, soon, returned to graduate school after seven years of teaching and received my (MFA) degree in printmaking and drawing from Howard University. For fifteen years, as a member of the Washington Printmakers Gallery, I was known as a printmaker. As I evolved, as an artist, I began to merge my printmaking skills with woodworking. The two separate processes allowed me the opportunity to combine colors printed on canvas surfaces with wooden constructions. Starting from mere doodles in my sketchbook, I have begun to merge the two skills into imaginative and creative forms as never before. In giving birth to each new work, the journey has allowed me to make visual, social, and culturally infused comments about the people, ideas, and events that I have recognized as important in my lifetime.
—Excerpted from https://www.billzact.com/bio, accessed 6-14-2021
William Harris was born in Bucks County, PA. He earned a BFA and MFA from Howard University, Washington, DC.
Harris has exhibited his work in Washington institutions including Gallery 10 Ltd; American Theatre; Franz Bader...