William Welch (1947-2018)

Nantucket, Key West and Provence artist William Welch received his art education at Ohio University with further study at the Philadelphia College of Art. A Cleveland native, he developed his love and skills in painting under the able instruction of prominent American watercolorists and master oil painters. He refers to himself as an “academic impressionist,” drawing on his training in realism and expressive passion for light and color.

From miniature watercolor scenes of extreme fine detail to large and expressive oil murals and screens, Mr. Welch’s style evokes the romance of color and light in the true impressionist’s spirit. He has spent the last decade following a nineteenth century painter’s path throughout Europe, concentrating in Normandy, northern Italy, Provence and Portugal. He was a  frequent visitor to Giverny, Claude Monet’s legacy of floral and natural beauty.  As impressionist disciplines advocated, Welch was an en plein air painter.

In addition to teaching activities, William Welch was a member of the National Watercolor Society, the Philadelphia Water Color Club (Signature Member), the Artist’s Association of Nantucket and the Copley Society of Boston.

His works are represented in many prominent galleries in the East – including the Chadd’s Ford Art Gallery, PA, the Stone Soup Gallery as well as Frangipani Gallery, both in Key West, FL.  He kept a summer studio and gallery on Nantucket and in Siasconset for most of his career.

Recent Examples at Auction