There have been many influences for Bill’s work from his early childhood to the present day. He grew up in Portsmouth on the south coast of England and his early years were spent rowing and sailing a clinker dinghy and cruising in his Father's various wooden sailing boats. In those days, he sketched the ships he saw around him, especially to while-away the time when passage making - later turning some of these sketches into detailed models. It was whilst looking for models in Maritime Museums that he first got interested in marine paintings.
Son of a World War II fighter pilot, Bill was named after one of his Father's heroes, the First World War Canadian fighter ace, William Avery (Billy) Bishop.
His parents lived next door to the daughter of the great marine artist W.L. Wyllie (1851-1931), who encouraged him, even presenting him with about fifty of W.L.'s old brushes, which Bill still keeps.
In 1980, after the sale of the family shoe business to retire his Father, Bill started to paint full time with the support and encouragement of his wife Helen. A neighbour, Richard Joicey RSMA, persuaded him to submit his watercolour works to the Royal Society of Marine Artists for their annual exhibition from 1981-84, where they sold, until demand for his work made it impossible for him to spare work for exhibiting, and in 1985, on the advice of Bertram Newbury of the Parker Gallery in London, he started to paint in oils. 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 a commission from the Mary Rose Trust was to paint the Mary Rose, King Henry VIII’s warship, both in her recovery cradle from life in watercolour and also 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 Bill to show some paintings at his home. Whilst there, Jim Marenakos of Quester Gallery viewed his work and as a results Quester Gallery has been representing him in America ever since.
Presently, Bill's works are in private collections in America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Oman, Gibraltar, Germany, The Falkland Islands, Belgium and Denmark, as well as the UK. His paintings have appeared in publications such as the Dictionary of Sea Painters of Europe and America 3rd Edition, by E.H.H Archibald, The Financial Times, The Hampshire County Magazine, Boat International, Sea History Magazine, Antiques Magazine and the US Sailing Association publication, as well as several museum guide books.
Yacht Racing and Rowing.
Bill has competed on sailing yachts and attended many regattas around the world, such as racing his own boats at Cowes Week, and crewing in Antigua Classic Regattas, Monaco Classic Regatta and Burnham Week. He rowed at school in Canterbury, Southsea Rowing Club and London Rowing Club and is still occasionally behind and oar, completing the Great River Race 2007 on the Thames in a fixed seat four in under four hours with a crew he last raced with in about 1960.
Rugby is another one of his main sporting interests, having played for his school, Havant RFC and Harlequins FC. He has played squash and real tennis to a fairly high level, as well as lawn tennis, rackets and badminton. He fly fishes and shoots, skies every year and currently is trying to improve his golf at Hayling Island Golf Club.
Another of Bill's passions are vintage sports cars and he and his wife Helen enjoy Vintage Sports Car Club touring rallies in their 1936 AC 16/80 Earl of March Sports Tourer. They competed in the London to Lisbon Rally in 2000, the Pyreneean Challenge in 2002, the 2005 rally to the historic grand prix at Angoulême, as well as taking it up the test hill at Brooklands in the same year. In 2007 they took part in the VSSC 'Wonders of Burgundy' Tour to Beaune.
All commision enquiries welcomed. For more information: bill@bishopmarineart.com