ABOUT WILLIAM MASTERS
A dual-citizen of Austria and the U.S., William Masters is an abstract artist who lives and works in the Washington, DC area where he was raised. He earned his BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting from Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts in St. Louis, MO where he received the prestigious Eda L. and Clarence C. Cushing Memorial Prize in Painting. He has also studied in Florence, Italy and County Wexford, Ireland and has been awarded residencies at The Vermont Studio Center, The New York Academy of Art (Academic Scholar Award) and the South Porch Artists Residency, in South Carolina.
Inspired by early 20th century Suprematist and geometric abstract artists of the 1930's, William’s current practice is informed by the musical concepts of structure, polyphony and harmony, and explores the powerful impact that sound has on the spirit. Deconstructing his early figurative works, his practice today celebrates the supremacy of color and shape in painting. With a focus on these relationships and the use of negative space, his work is anchored in the fundamentals of geometry and uses a limited palette of bold, dynamic, pure colors. As a descendant of Viennese classical music lovers, William also has a particular affection for the catalogue of J.S Bach whose dense melodic tapestries in particular provide an endless source of inspiration for his work.
William’s years-long struggle with chronic pain due to Hybermobile Ehler-Danlos syndrome disorder is central to his desire to create art that is contemplative, comforting yet complex in structure.
Recent exhibitions and awards include The Masur Museum of Art (61st Annual Juried Competition), MFA Curve Gallery (Light and Shadow Juried Competition), MFA Circle Gallery (Strokes of Genius Juried Competition), the Martha Spak Gallery (Symphony of Colors Juried Competition) and the Des Lee Gallery, St. Louis, MO (Dove in the Bunker and What is WARGAP, TARGAP.)
His work has been featured in numerous publications including the Pigeon Review Art & Literary Journal, The Closed Eye Open and is also on permanent display at the Cornell/Weill Medical Center in NYC and in private collections across the country.