William Dunn

William Dunn was educated at San Jose State University (BA, Graphic Design) and Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles (now Pasadena). Though an advertising design major at Art Center, he always had his head in the drawing and painting classes, admiring the work of the illustrators and fine art painters alike.

His early career had him working as an advertising agency art director, ironically occasionally hiring illustrators for jobs he would have liked to have had the skills to do himself. After getting experience working in ad agencies, he opened his own design studio and spen...

William Dunn was educated at San Jose State University (BA, Graphic Design) and Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles (now Pasadena). Though an advertising design major at Art Center, he always had his head in the drawing and painting classes, admiring the work of the illustrators and fine art painters alike.

His early career had him working as an advertising agency art director, ironically occasionally hiring illustrators for jobs he would have liked to have had the skills to do himself. After getting experience working in ad agencies, he opened his own design studio and spent the bulk of his career as a graphic designer doing logos, ads, brochures, posters, packaging, for a wide range of clients, in the last years adding illustration to the mix.

Getting hired early on to teach graphic design at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA, started a long-time, and continuing career as both a part and full-time instructor. Always enjoying teaching, he has taught in California at Foothill College, DeAnza College, San Jose State University, and spent fifteen years at the San Francisco Academy of Art College (University), the last two as the graphic design department Chair. While teaching at the academy, he also took numerous classes there in drawing and painting. For him, it was an excellent way to pursue his continuing interest and advance his skills in drawing and painting.

He has painted watercolors throughout his career and been heavily influenced by and indebted to many past and present artists, including Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Francis Livingston, Dick Cole, Brook Temple, Christopher Schink, and Australian painter, Joseph Zbukvic.

He generally prefers to keep a loose style and enjoys painting a variety of subjects, but gravitates toward taking urban landscapes and trying to capture and add to the mood and atmosphere of the scene.

Bill is married, living and working in his home studio in Santa Clara, CA, and has a son, Garen, who got all the good looks, and is attending college in Southern California.

Bill also enjoys tennis, sailing small boats, skiing, and has a 1st degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial art. Bill admits that the downside to painting all the time now, is that his tennis game is going south fast but says it’s a good tradeoff!

Bill is a member of both the American and National Watercolor Societies. He recently won First Place in the University Art Open Art Competition for his painting “Ameyoko”, done in Tokyo, Japan.