WILLIAM GRAF

William Graf is a fine artist, professional illustrator and international instructor of drawing, oil and watercolor in both plein air and studio painting. He teaches drawing, oil, watercolor and acrylic painting at The Atelier at Flowerfield in St. James, the Art League of Long Island and the National Art League of New York. He also conducts plein air painting workshops in France and Italy.

His extensive art career began after completing his drawing and old master painting studies at the Art Students League of New York and in Florence, Italy, at the Cecil- Graves Studio. Graf continues to be commissioned for work as an illustrator for major publishing companies as well as his portraiture. One of his noteworthy commissions was for a mural depicting a scene of President Theodore Roosevelt’s children in the White House, which was painted to be displayed in the Museum of American History.

Recipient of numerous awards from the International Miniature Portrait Show of Montreal, the NYC Students Art League Figure Drawing 1st Prize for figure drawing, Huntington NY Arts Council for Best In Show for portraiture and Honorable Mentions, NY Nassau County Art Leagues 1st Prize for figure painting and 1st prize for still life, Christy Award for best Christian book cover design & illustration. Recipient of the Frank J. Reilly Scholarship Award. Recently he has received Honorable Mention & Merit Awards in the prestigious Richeson75 International Show for Portraiture. The Best In Show award for Small Works in the Richeson75 International Exhibit, National Art League 89th Annual Juried Open Exhibit and 2019 Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors.

‘My goal as an artist is to seek beauty and truth in my paintings and to find an element that viewers can relate to.’— William Graf

Website: https://www.williamgraffineart.com