Artist Statement

Considering myself an abstract surrealist artist, I love vast imaginary spaces as subject matter. The expressiveness and precision of line inspires me and much of my work is linear. I populate my spaces with figures and objects that are childlike, comical, and tragic. The abstract landscapes they inhabit are fantastic with some literal elements. I play with density and concretion at the most general level when I compose using the literal image as a diving board from which to jump into abstract, imaginary spaces.  My realistic style is somewhat impressionistic and deconstructed. During the art making process, I work intuitively. Many of my ideas come as a stream of consciousness as I work as if viewing a waking dream and recording what I see or feel.

Artists Biography

William Bishop was always drawing and doodling from childhood on. He loved the science fiction of the 70’s and 80’s, and grew up trying to copy the images he saw on the movie and television screens of that era. At Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, he fostered his love for beautiful forms in mathematics and the visual arts, graduating summa cum laude in 1988 with a B.A. Degree in Computer Math and Fine Art. Since then, he has pursued a lucrative non-art related career that has given him the finances and artistic freedom to pursue his vision. In the process of getting an Associates Degree in Graphic Arts from Platte College in 1993, he was introduced to the technical pen and saw in it potential as a fine art tool in and of itself. In the years since, his precise and expressive ink drawing has been the gold standard against which he measures all of his other work. As an artist, William believes that an ongoing education is key to improving his skill and creativity. He has taken classes at Metro State College in Denver, Aurora Community College, and the Art Students League of Denver. He has sold work at various coop galleries in the Denver area, has done commissioned portrait work for several clients, and is preparing this year for the Art Students League of Denver’s Summer Art Market in June of 2010.