Biography of Florida Artist William North

William North is a distinguished painter of the tropical Florida scene. He carries on the tradition of the great age of impressionism, working from life, painting landscapes in the field and painting still lifes in the studio.

An interest in art and painting, which began in his early teens, led to his assignment as an artist correspondent in the U.S. Army (1945-1947). After leaving the service he attended Pratt Institute (BFA-1951) and also studied at the N.Y. Art Student's League and the Lyme Academy of Fine Art, in Connecticut.

Over the years he followed dual careers in art and business. In 1990, he left the business world to continue his painting interests full-time. He settled in Florida and soon became established as a well-known painter of mangroves and other tropical landscape themes.

He also developed an interest in Florida oranges and began his "Real Florida Oranges" series of still lifes, in which he explored the complexities of their shapes, colors and unique markings. North notes: "Florida oranges have character. Not perfectly round, not perfectly orange, they are often yellowish in color and marked by surface patterns, speckles and wind scars." In 1997, one Florida newspaper called this his "orange" period when North's work was shown at the Southwest Florida Citrus Growers Association Expo.

In Florida he has received numerous awards, including a prestigious first place in the Winners Circle competition at Edison Community College in Fort Myers. His paintings are in hundreds of collections in the U.S. and abroad as far afield as Moscow and Tokyo.