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Bill Perkins

Watercolor
Bill Perkins graduated from Art Center College of Design in 1980 with honors, that same year he had his first solo gallery show in Redondo Beach Calif. based on his plein-air work painted in Mexico. His work was also exhibited at the Laguna Fine Arts Festival. For the next five years he painted steadily with watercolors and oils inspired by his mentorship with Dan McCaw. In 1983 Bill applied to American Artist Magazines Emerging Artist competition. He didn't win but the magazine encouraged him to apply the following year. The rejection inspired him to work harder as a result his work was accepted into the National Watercolor Society's 1984 annual show, and an oil painting was exhibited in the Springville Museum of art's spring salon. Applying to the magazine the following year was also met with rejection because they no longer recognized him as an emerging artist, instead they asked him to write an article in their February travel and education section. The article was based on his three-month plein-air trip through France, Italy, and Spain retracing the steps of the impressionists of the late nineteenth century. The trip was in preparation for a show at the Monterey Museum of art in February 1985. Bill's work was represented by The Esther Wells Collection in Laguna Beach and Shriver Gallery in Taos New Mexico. He began teaching drawing and plein-air watercolor workshops. With the financial recession in late 1985 Bill looked to his second love of movies and storytelling and began working at the Walt Disney Animation Studio but continued his plein-air work on lunch breaks and weekends. Bill began as a layout artist and became an art director helping to forge the renaissance of Disney animation. Outside the studio Bill became a founding member of and traveled with the Plein-Air Painters of America and was entered into Who's Who in California Education in 1987. During the next 37 years Bill worked on over 30 films including Aladdin, Fantasia 2000, Iron Giant, Space Jam, Shrek, Bolt, Tangled, Frozen and Zootopia, Green Eggs and Ham season II, and five Marvel animated series 2021-2023. In 2025 Bill was honored with membership into The Academy of Motion Pictures class of 2025 for his exceptional accomplishments as art director. He currently teaches at Art Center College, retired from animation he is once again pursuing his personal plein-air work. Bill work has been published in more than 12 “Making of” books, Step by Step, Post, Entertainment Weekly, LA Times, American Artist magazine, This Month on the Peninsula, The Enchanted Isle (the story of the Plein air Painters of America on Catalina Island), and Strokes of Genius 5 the best of drawing.