Will Bullas

Born in Ohio and raised in the Southwest, Will Bullas has been painting for as long as he can remember. Accordingly, he enrolled at Arizona State University and was majoring in fine arts and minoring in dramatic arts when he was drafted. In Vietnam, Bullas' skills stood him in good stead; his first professional pieces were pencil portraits of fellow soldiers, which were sent to loved ones back home.

Returning from military duty, he enrolled in the Brooks Institute of Fine Art in Santa Barbara, California, where he studied with renowned instructor Ray Strong. "He was not only a master of landscape painting," Bullas said, "but a master of color theory. And he could tell a great story, too." Bullas graduated with a degree in oil painting. With the encouragement of his wife, Claudia, he then quit his printing press job -- reproducing the work of other artists -- and concentrated on his own art.

That was the beginning of a year-long voyage across the Midwest and Southwest, taking Will and Claudia to dozens of malls and parking lots where Bullas sold his work to many appreciative collectors. The couple settled in Carmel, California, where Will's exclusive relationship with galleries resulted in more than a decade of prosperity and a growing group of dedicated, enthusiastic collectors.

Bullas' work has not escaped the notice of critics and peers. He won the Strathmore award at the 1981 Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition, the William G. Morrison award at the 1990 Signature Membership Exhibition of the National Watercolor Society. He is a proud member of both the American and National Watercolor Societies.