Bill Hosner

"That it will never come again, is what makes life so beautiful," This delicate verse by British poetess, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, has had a singular and profound effect on me. It is my hope that the wisdom of her words resonate through my paintings. As I continue to paint directly from life I have come to the realization that each moment and every person is God given and there in lies a uniqueness and value.

BILL HOSNER was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1950. He earned his BFA at Wayne State University and studied illustration at the Center for the Creative Studies, College of Art and Design. For seventeen years Bill produced hundreds of illustrations for Readers Digest, Field and Stream, CBS-Fox Video, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and many other important clients. Working from his own studio, Bill achieved national recognition and was honored with many accolades in advertising art induding numerous awards.

At the peak of a highly successful career, Bill left the commercial art world, intent upon building a new career which would allow him the freedom to grow artistically as well as spiritually. In order to further develop his creative abilities as a representational artist, he enrolled in the Scottsdale Artists School in Arizona where he studied under two master painters, Harley Brown and Dan Gerhartz. It was here that he developed a keen interest in plein-air painting and painting figures from life. At any given time of the day, Bill may be found sitting at his easel, perhaps in a farmer's field or painting a model by an old barn. "Life is so much more interesting and engaging when it is experienced directly rather than merely observing it. Similarly, when I paint directly from life, I'm able to capture and transmit the experience of the place or person with far more accuracy and honesty than if I were to paint in a studio. Whether it's Harsen's Island or the orchards north of Romeo, I don't have to travel far to find inspiration."