Reed, Bill

Born in S.E. Kentucky in 1944, 5^th child of 6, Bill and his family moved to a Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash in 1946.

His love of art started early. In the 4^th grade, “Billy” drew and colored his “Crayola Masterpiece” of a Viking Ship. His teacher, Mrs. Ring, kept the drawing hanging on her classroom wall for many years. During his senior year, at Sycamore High School, where he majored in “sports and girls,” Billy-Boy completed his very first oil painting in his favorite 1/4 credit class . . .“Art”. It would be his last painting, for 36 years!

After some traveling in Southern California and other parts of the West, Bill returned home for his father’s failing health. He helped out at his family’s deli and soon married his High School Sweetheart in 1967. Bill was immediately drafted into the Army after leaving the University of Cincinnati for Pre-Law. In 1969, Sergeant Reed became a Recon Squad Leader in the Army’s 4^th Infantry Division, in The Republic of Viet Nam. After his return home once again in 1970, Bill studied Commercial Art at the well-known “Al Gable Advertising Art School” in Cincinnati. Bill eventually went on to find a career in the Real Estate industry.

Bill found his passion again for the arts while on long work related travels in the real estate world. Always in some boring hotel room or campground, it was the perfect opportunity for “Willie” to revisit his God given talent and love for Art. Because of its portability, fast drying characteristics and ease of clean up, watercolor became his medium of choice. With no lessons and no idea what he was doing, he remembers; “what a frustrating challenge it was!” Of course, he still wanted each painting to be a masterpiece so he obviously struggled and struggled! Needless to say, each trial and error helped him to improve and improve.

Now, with this upside-down economy and limited involvement in real estate, he has lots of time on his hands to enjoy his two greatest passions, family and art. Concentrating on his artwork full-time nowadays, Bill has been teaching himself to work with oil paints. He has completed several commissioned oil paintings and is now selling paintings and reproductions in local galleries.

Bill Reed’s house and animal portraits have become very popular and he is now “happily accepting commissions” in Oil on Canvas and/or Watercolor.