Bill Sonstrom

Bill started painting in 1992 and within a few months it became his passion. He studied watercolor with Jack Flynn, AWS, for more than 10 years. In the summer of 2005, Bill was able to take an early retirement from a 30-year career as a software engineer and turn to painting full-time. At this time he began studying composition with Paul Zimmerman, NA. In 2006, he began to study oil painting with plein air master David Lussier. Bill expresses his sense of American history through landscapes, street scenes, and marine subjects. His marine paintings feature working boats, especially New England trawlers.

Sonstrom served in the U.S. Army from 1967-1970 as a First Lieutenant. He holds a BA in American History, from Central Connecticut State University and a MS in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is an Artist Member of the American Society of Marine Artists. He has earned numerous awards from the Connecticut Watercolor Society, including First Place in the 2006 Open Exhibit. He is also a member of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters’ Society, the Lyme Art Association, West Hartford Art League and Mystic Seaport.