Bill Jameson

Born in 1944 in Honea Path, South Carolina, William Jameson always felt strong ties to his native region. Today, he and his wife, Anne (also a painter) reside and paint in Saluda, NC. Bill credits growing up surrounded by the natural beauty and rich history of South Carolina with inspiring his childhood ambitions of becoming an artist. After studying with Frank Rampola at the Ringling School of Art in Florida, Jameson continued his studies while teaching landscape painting and life drawing as a graduate assistant at the Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Bill has drawn inspiration from a wide array of bodies of work, ranging from the drypoint etchings of American landscape artist, Chauncey Foster Ryder to the Renaissance masterpieces of Titian.

Bill’s passion for history and nature allow him to create introspective landscapes embodying the full range of local color and timeless contrasts—whether the setting captures the brilliant, warm colors heralding the arrival of fall in the North Carolina mountains or the rich Tuscan countryside dotted with cool blue/green olive fields in bloom among the red-earth shades of freshly upturned soil. Rejecting the term “scene” in reference to these works, Bill defines his landscapes as “explorations.”

This approach to his subject matter enables Bill to create compositions that go beyond mere depictions of the surface beauty offered by the environs. Jameson explores his subject matter in detail, in the process revealing the mystery and profound power of nature. The effect is a literal and sentimental interpretation of nature; each painting is a reflection of the dual-relationship between man and nature; painter and observer.

David Houston, Director of the Ogden Museum of Art, University of New Orleans, describes Bill’s paintings as “carefully considered explorations of both visible and intangible characteristics of the natural order.” Houston notes Bill’s evolution as a painter, asserting that, “[his] journey as an artist has traveled full circle, from an early realism through minimalism and conceptualism, to a reviewed, but altered realism.” Bill acknowledges the change and growth in his artistic style since beginning his journey as a painter over forty years ago.

His personal involvement in the creation of each work is apparent in his painting style, incorporating heavy applications of paint with strong, energetic brushstrokes. These techniques instill his paintings with a sense of movement, echoing the recurring theme of natural cycles and change, inherent in his subject matter.

His use of diagonal compositions are another element of his painting style suggestive of constant change; drawing the viewer’s eye across all areas of the canvas and back again, creating a personal dialogue with the viewer, inviting them to bring their own experience to a familiar setting. This ability to draw the observer into the artwork is Bill’s true gift; as it allows his audience to feel a personal connection to his paintings.

His basic palette has not changed over the years; however, Bill has continued to broaden in his exploration of the nuances of color and light. Stressing the importance of this aspect in his paintings Bill asserts that, “In exploring the myriad of subtle, illusive grays in nature, the result has been more information and a softer look.” Bill continues to seek new ways to reach his ultimate goal—continuing to engage his viewer in thoughtful contemplation with paintings that interpret each location’s unique aesthetic quality while translating the mood and atmosphere of a particular moment in time.

“The more I paint, the more I must paint. The need to…is never diminished by having completed a painting, but rather there’s an immediate need to begin another.”