Tennessee

Self taught

William Ruffner grew up in Chattanooga, experienced life in Arizona, traveled extensively throughout this country, finally settling in his native city among the trees and mountains. William was raised with a love for books, music, and art. 

While his watercolor is self-taught, he has been influenced by artists such as Winslow Homer, Rembrandt, Andrew Wyeth, and his own mother who was an excellent artist in her own right. He has enjoyed creating art using the venues of classical piano, guitar, photography, drawing and writing. 

One of the reasons William finds pleasure in the medium of watercolor is that it cannot be fully controlled – “The water and the artist are working together to create something that is quite often unexpected”. 

Each morning he sips at a large bowl of hot coffee while his favorite cat has a small bowl of milk by his side having become enamored of the idea after reading The Sun Also Rises. 

“Art, as far as I can tell, is a view of the particular artist’s ideal of reality, whether as places to visit or avoid. To me, art is a way to reconnect with the past, or places I’d like to go and see, or have seen and would like to return to just once more. The goal is to be true to the ideal even if I can’t quite bring it into our world. If I wouldn’t want to visit this ideal, I certainly wouldn’t want to paint it.”