Santa Fe Artist Bill Watson
During the Second World War at the age of almost 13, I became a cowboy on a large ranch along the Brazos River in Texas. There were three black cowboys, another teenager and myself keeping an 80,000-acre ranch operating. I performed many tasks and learned to repair almost anything that was broken. In my spare time I enjoyed sketching.
After high school I attended Rice University where I received a doctorate degree in chemistry. Although I was interested in the arts I did not see how I could make a living in this area. I chose teaching and research as my profession, and I had a very successful career at Texas Christian University. I was fortunate enough to receive continuous research support, and had many fine graduate students and postdoctoral fellows work in my laboratory. Their productivity allowed me to travel extensively and visit many countries and universities. Part of my research involved the search for biologically active constituents from plant materials. For ten years I led plant-collecting expeditions along the Andes from Colombia to the tip of Chile. Some of my most memorable times were those spent collaborating with herbalist, native healers or the shaman. These experiences are reflected in some of my paintings.
Although I was trained as a scientist I am also a very visual person, and I think more in images than I do quantitatively. I believe this also contributed to my successful research career. I always took time when I traveled to visit museums. The way the artists applied paint and the use of brush strokes to create a desired effect always intrigued me.
I first came to Santa Fe in 1959 where I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of people, the light, the colors and the artists. In about 1961 I started painting with oils and soon thereafter I began to sell in local galleries and directly to buyers. This rekindled interest in art led to my returning to Santa Fe to paint. At first I came for a week, then two weeks and finally I would spend two months. I moved to Santa Fe permanently in 2004 where I enjoy a spectacular view of the mountains and the valley from my studio 600 feet above the city.
My style has varied considerably over my career. I try to use a style that fits what I want to express rather than try to create a painting to fit a style. I enjoy experimenting with different ways to express a vision. I bore easily and these variations in techniques help stimulate my productivity. This is an enigma to most galleries that want your work to be immediately recognizable because of the style. I also enjoy the creation of installations and yard art.
I have a genuine interest in all performing arts. I love music, dance and theater, and I have served on boards for many nonprofit organizations associated with these activities. I have published a number of essays and short stories under pseudonyms, and I have written two plays that have received regional awards. My research work led to the publishing of more than 500 scientific articles.