William Dunn was trained at San Jose State University and Art Center College of Design. He has painted throughout his career and has taught watercolor and graphic design extensively at De Anza and Foothill Colleges in Cupertino and Los Altos Hills, California, and the Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View, CA. In his mid-career he taught graphic design and was the dept. chairman at the Academy of Art College (now called University) in San Francisco.
He is heavily influenced by and indebted to many past and present artists, including Winslow Homer, Dong Kingman, John Singer Sargent, Francis Livingston, Dick Cole, Brook Temple, Charles Reid, Joseph Zbukvic, Herman Pekel, John Lovett, and many more. A member of both the American and National Watercolor Societies, William generally paints in a loose style and enjoys painting a variety of subjects.
“For me, painting is about trying to capture the essence of things. Subjects and scenes alike have an innate mood and character. I want the painting to tell the story more than the surface of the scene exposes – more than the viewer expects. I hope to touch that intangible quality with my painting if I can. Pursuing that feeling is what keeps it interesting for me - and always coming back for more.”
In addition to art, William enjoys riding his mountain bike, tennis, sailing small boats, and is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial art. He has recently moved to San Diego, CA with his wife, Hidemi, and has a son, Garen, who got all the good looks, and just graduated with a BS degree from California State University Northridge.
