Bill Sweeney

Fine art has always been in Bill Sweeney's life. Growing up in Springfield, Pennsylvania, his house was filled with paintings by his cousin, who was a professional artist, and by his mother, grandfather, and various relatives who were all hobbyists. As a result, his siblings and he always believed that “doing art” was somewhat of a family tradition and something to be admired. His childhood doodles became sketches when he was a teenager and eventually, in my twenties, became oil paintings and watercolors.

In 1995 Bill and his wife Lisa started their family in Garnet Valley, where they live today. The area serves as a setting for much of his work. In the early 2000’s Bill rediscovered a set of pastels that were a fifth grade Christmas present from his parents. After retiring from a 40-year career teaching physics at Strath Haven High School, he became hooked on pastels and became a pastel artist. He has had the good fortune to study with artists Karl Kuerner since 1992 and Jane Bartrum Miluski and Joe Sweeney (no relation) since 2013.

Bill's work has been included in various shows across the country including the Pastel Society of America’s “Enduring Brilliance Exhibition”; the International Association of Pastel Societies Juried Exhibitions and Webshows; the “Art of the State” Exhibition in Harrisburg, PA; in the US State Department Arts in Embassies program and in many of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society’s “International Exhibition of Works on Paper.” His paintings have been published in PleinAir Magazine and Philadelphia Stories Magazine. 

Bill is a signature member of the Maryland Pastel Society, the Philadelphia Watercolor Society, and an associate member of the Pastel Society of America. In November 2021, he was awarded the Crest Medal by the Philadelphia Watercolor Society.