BILL BISHOP LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
21/07/08

Following the sale of the family business, Bill started painting full time, with the support and encouragement of his wife Helen. At that time, a member of the RSMA persuaded him to submit his watercolour works to the Royal Society of Marine Artists for their annual exhibition from 1981-84. They sold, until demand for his work made it impossible for him to spare further work for exhibitions, and in 1985, on the advice of Bertram Newbury of the Parker Gallery in London, he started to paint in oils.

This was to become a turning point and a year later, Bill received a commission from the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth for a depiction of ‘Windy Corner’ at the Battle of Jutland. This led to further commissions from the Mary Rose Trust to paint the Mary Rose, King Henry VIII’s warship. This was for two works, one in her recovery cradle in watercolour, as well as the ‘definitive’ version of how she originally looked in oils. Further commissions included HMS Warrior for the Warrior Museum and John Cabot’s ship, Matthew of 1497, for the City of Bristol.

Bill started selling his work to the United States and while competing on a Real Tennis
and Rackets tour of the American courts, he met a marine art collector, who invited him to show some paintings at his home. Coincidentally, a Curator of Quester Gallery viewed his work at the same time and as a result, the Gallery in Connecticut has been representing his work in America ever since.

Bill grew up in Portsmouth on the south coast of England and his early years were spent rowing, sailing a clinker dinghy and cruising in his Father’s various wooden sailing boats. He sketched the ships he saw around him at the time, subsequently turning some of these sketches into detailed models. Research in Maritime Museums for the models got him interested in marine paintings.

At one time, Bill’s parents lived next door to the daughter of the great marine artist W.L. Wyllie (1851-1931). She encouraged him with his sketches and models, and even gave him 50 or so of W.L.’s old brushes, which Bill still keeps to this day.

Currently, Bill’s works are in private collections around the world, in America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Oman, Gibraltar, Germany, The Falkland Islands, Belgium and Denmark, as well as the UK. His works cover a number of his passions, sailing, rowing and vintage cars.



Further information on Bill Bishop’s work and how to commission a painting, please visit the new website at: http://www.bishopmarineart.com

A selection of Bill Bishop’s limited edition prints are also available from the J Class Art Website: http://www.jclassart.com