William Neukomm

Born in 1972 in St. Louis, Missouri, William began his figurative studies at the St. Louis Artists' Guild while still in high school. Encouragement from his mentor, Lauren Davis, led him to the Kansas City Art Institute. While ultimately receiving his B.F.A. in graphic design, drawing remained an important part of his work. A return to the St. Louis Artists' Guild brought William in contact with Billyo O'Donnell and Jason Dowd, two artists who helped tremendously in the development of his painting. Work soon took him to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he spent more than 10 years as an award-winning designer. All the while, he continued to draw and paint.

A summer course with Dana Levin and Jura Bedic at the Florence Academy of Art and another with David Leffel at the Art Students League of New York helped convince William that a return to school was necessary to achieve the skills he desired. In 2010 he quit his job, uprooted his wife and children, and enrolled in the Florence Academy of Art, where he spent three years pursuing his interest in realist painting under the tutelage of great artists like Daniel Graves and Jordan Sokol. 

Currently, William is living in southern California, having moved there to earn his Masters of Fine Arts degree at Laguna College of Art + Design.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 14^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.