Bill Anton, b. 1957, Chicago, Illinois, (United States)

After seeing the American West for the first time as a seven-year-old, Bill Anton vowed to return for good someday. He left his home in the Midwest some 12 years later and the Arizona high country has been home ever since. Exposed to art early and often, Anton drew constantly from the time he was old enough to hold a pencil. Inevitably, his two great loves in life united when he turned to western art full-time in 1982. Later, after committing to painting full-time, he studied under Michael Lynch and Ned Jacob, who encouraged him to paint from life.

Bill says, "I do not see myself as a biographer of the 'cowboy.' I know some artists feel they are recording an historical portrayal of ranch life today in the American West. But the focus of my work has always been mood and passion. If I'm recording anything, I'm recording how I feel about the West. I want the viewer to feel the drama of atmosphere and the mystery of a western night. I want the volume and portent of a cloud to be evident in the calligraphy of a brush stroke."