Check Out William Alther’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to William Alther.

Hi William, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My work is a confluence of my greatest lifelong interests, art and nature. I was born in Topeka, Kansas, and grew up in Midland, Texas after moving there at eight years old with my family. From a very early age, I had a fascination and great regard for the natural world. I also had a penchant for drawing.

Throughout my school years, I dabbled in a variety of artistic pursuits including pen and ink, watercolors, oil painting, and wood carving. When it came to college, however, art took a back seat to science and I earned a degree in wildlife biology at Texas A&M University. I have lived in Denver for the majority of my adult life and worked at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for 13 years managing the Zoology research collections.

Through my job, I became well-connected with the scientific and naturalist communities around the region. It also turned out to be a great place to meet other artists when they made use of the museum’s specimens for anatomical reference. Meanwhile, feeling that I could use some proper art training, I enrolled in a color theory course at a local art college.

Doing the class assignments sparked a new level of enthusiasm for painting. I also became aware that Denver had a thriving art community and some excellent artists to learn from. One of them was Mark Daily, a brilliant painter who taught at the Denver Art Students League. His paintings were eye-opening and his working methods, knowledge, and frank critiques instilled high standards.

I saw how much there was to learn and the level of work I should strive for. Some of Daily’s abilities are on an intuitive level that can’t be taught. Nevertheless, the time spent as a student in his class and even more so as a friend, just talking about art, watching, and absorbing valuable bits of painting wisdom has been one of the most important parts of my artistic development.

After years of painting in my free time, I decided to leave the museum in 2004 and give it a go as a full-time artist, with whole-hearted encouragement from my wife Debbie. Her successful career in the cable television industry provided a reassuring safety net for such an “adventurous” decision. All along, her full support has been more than I would have ever asked or hoped for. Within a couple of years, I was showing in a few galleries around the western U.S.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Over the past 20 years, my “art journey” has been a gradual and steady climb. There have been some breakthrough moments but nothing earth-shaking. The most important thing has been perseverance and pushing to improve as a painter. Most people pursuing creative endeavors go through times when it feels like improvement and progress is a struggle. I certainly have too, but those times of struggle are often when the most progress happens.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am primarily an oil painter. Most of my subject matter is wildlife and landscapes, done in a representational style. I try to do my work in a painterly way, not overly detailed, to convey the sense of being in a place or in the presence of an animal. I want the paintings to be convincing and have “life”, yet have a painterly and artistic quality and not a photographic look so much.

It has been gratifying to have my work represented in respected galleries and to participate in some prominent museum exhibitions around the western United States. I have received some awards at these exhibitions and I particularly value the “artist’s choice” awards, which are voted on by fellow artists participating in the show. Nevertheless, my greatest satisfaction comes from evolving and improving as an artist and simply doing the best paintings I can.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was rather shy as a kid and always enjoyed the outdoors and the natural world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.williamalther.com
• Instagram: @william.alther
• Facebook: @Bill Alther