“I’m really drawn to light and shadow. Any subject can be good if it’s got the right kind of light hitting it. That, more than anything else, is what I’m after.”

William (Bill) Alther's work is a fusion of his greatest lifelong interests, art and nature. From the start he had an innate appreciation and respect for the natural world, and all it’s lifeforms, that has only increased with time. A degree in wildlife biology from Texas A&M University eventually led to a position in the zoology department at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for 13 years. Throughout, he was an active artist, drawing and painting from an early age. In the years following college, his primary artistic outlet was wood sculpture. A color theory class in his early 30’s renewed his enthusiasm for painting and he spent his free time over the next few years working to further his capabilities. In 2004 he began painting full-time. Bill participates in prominent national shows each year in addition to his association with several established and respected galleries. Two notable recent honors came at the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s Western Visions show in Jackson, Wyoming when in 2018 he received the “Red Smith” Artist’s Choice Award and in 2021 his painting “Her Elegancy” received the Trustee Purchase Award. He is a member of the Northwest Rendezvous Group, Society of Animal Artists, and Oil Painters of America. His work is in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Woodson Art Museum, and many private collections. Bill lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Debbie.

Awards 

Red Smith "Artist's Choice" Award, 2024 Western Visions show, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY
Red Smith "Artist's Choice" Award, 2023 Western Visions Show, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY
Trustee Purchase Award, 2021 Western Visions Show, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY

Memberships

Northwest Rendezvous Group
Oil Painters of America
Society of Animal Artists

Collections 

Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI
National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY
The Woolaroc Museum, Bartlesville, OK