William Rodgers

Like so many in this age of information and stimulation, William Rodgers' path to a fulfillment in art took a circuitous route. Despite a deep interest in art and museums from an early age, he found himself pursuing a business degree at the University level. At the same time he was painting for himself and as a way to afford gifts for family and friends. Once I began painting in the college arena everything changed. I realized I had a strong voice in the realm of art as well as a spirited competitive urge. Rodgers' degree aspirations changed which resulted in degrees in Art and Art History, a Masters Degree from the New York Academy of Art and six years post-graduate study in some of the world's top studios. The seminal change for me occurred while studying abstract modernism while at the university level. I enrolled in a program to study in Florence and Rome. Upon seeing the work of Michelangelo and Raphael, I knew that my work must take the path to strive for an ideal of beauty derived from nature; a humble re-creation of Creation. For me the poets can say it much more concisely than I. In the words of Keats, Truth is beauty, beauty is truth.... and that is all you need to know.