Bill Farnsworth

Bill Farnsworth was born in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1958 and spent most of his life in New Milford, Connecticut painting landscapes of the rural area, while supporting himself and his family with his growing illustration career. As a 1980 graduate of The Ringling School of Art and Design, he has spent the last thirty years creating paintings for magazines, advertisements, children’s books and fine art commissions of portraits and landscapes.

Bill is a member of The Society of Illustrators in New York, SCBWI and The Oil Painters of America. His paintings have appeared in many national shows and private collections throughout the United States.

As a fine artist, he has seamlessly moved into this field and has garnered awards of excellence from The Oil Painters of America, 2006 and 2007 Eastern Regional Shows and the 2007 National Show. He won first place in the Fifth Biennial National Show in Punta Gorda, Florida as well as two awards for Narrative Excellence from the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society. He also won Best in Show in the 2010 Cashiers paint out. In 2010, he was awarded signature status in The American Society of Marine Artists.

Bill says of his work, "As an Illustrator for more than thirty years, I have told many stories with my paintings that have helped me in my cross over to Gallery work. Every day life has a story no matter how small and deserves telling if it has the right light. The light is what makes something very special or just forgettable. Cool overcast light can have a beautiful soft edge look, were as sunny warm light can create interesting patterns and color. In order to get this on canvas and convey it’s honestly to the viewer, an artist must have the skills of visual language. Having the technical skill will give them the ability to express. If you travel to another country and don’t know the language, no one will understand you. This goes for art as well. A painting with bad values, shapes, and edges will not convey to the viewer how the artist feels about the subject. My illustration work over the years has been the best training to put a picture together. Tight deadlines and being asked to paint everything under the sun was a great motivator to be resourceful.

" So today the learning process continues, and with it comes little steps of improvement. For me this is what makes painting so rewarding and fun. Moments in life pass by us all the time and if we can capture the great ones honestly in paint and canvas then maybe it will make our lives better.