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Bill Rutherford 

Artist | Musician | Storyteller 

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Bill's work is his contact with the world outside of the context of his insular life.  He has  sculpted and drawn as long as he can remember, but he had no role models, no mentors for fine art. 

 

Bill is African, Anglo, Native, American, raised by political activists, who fought the freedom wars all of their lives.

 

Expressive fine art was and is always living in his mind and at times, in surges of effort, he has produced quantities of work and just as suddenly, he would deny his creative self and with admitted anger, stop.

 

Bill did not sculpt or paint for over 20 years, returning to his true self in 1995.  He acknowledges he is older now and hopefully wiser.  Bill knows that art is him and he is art.  He knows that it is something he can do, without feeling outside of  life.

 

His early work was often angry, resentful and filled with darkness.  He is currently producing work that offers expressions of his multi-cultural heritage without the anger getting in the way of the work.

 

Bill's focus is still outside the perfect view, elicited perhaps by being self-taught and viewing the work through cultural eyes. Working in wood affords peace and spiritual depth. 

 

His work in wire, plaster and found objects allows expansion of expression with materials and styles.  Drawing and painting affords Bill the opportunity to document his worlds. Bill admits he is still an emerging artist by all definitions of the words. His work has been represented by numerous galleries in Oregon and California.

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