Growing up in southern California, Bill Cramer always had an interest in exploring nature and creating art. Born in 1960, he spent much of his youth rock climbing and hiking throughout much of the American southwest. After earning a bachelors degree in fine art from California State University at Long Beach, he and his wife Michelle relocated to Prescott, Arizona to be closer to the canyons and deserts they love. It was there that he discovered a deeper appreciation for the western landscape and the challenges of painting it.

Bill enjoys working outdoors on location and in the studio using a direct method of oil painting where each piece is completed in a single session. The mixing of colors often takes place on both pallet and panel in an intuitive and exciting way that the artist feels is a good match to the spontaneity found in nature. He draws further inspiration from many current and past artists, especially the works of the California Impressionists of the early 1900s.

“Each painting is a balancing act between what I see and what I hope to convey. Any landscape worth painting is much more than the obvious visual elements. The push of an evening breeze, the feel of sun baked granite, the sound of a raven suddenly overhead are examples of the many unseen elements that inform my work. I am satisfied when a painting is as rich as the landscape that inspired it.”