Micro Biomorphic Abstract Drawing IV from the collection of Studio MGH

Micro Biomorphic Abstract Drawing IV, c. 1990

Pastel, pencil on paper affixed to mat board

2.5 x 2.75 in

Inv: bs68-1

William Stephens Shields, Jr., 1925 - 2010

He was born at Letterman Hospital in San Francisco's Presidio, to Eilleen Goggan and Lt. Col. William S. Shields, U.S. Army Medical Corps. With the death of his father in 1931, Bill moved to Texas, where he grew up. After two years at Central Catholic High school, Bill transferred to LaSalle Military Academy in New York in 1940 and later joined the Naval Air Corps at the age of 18. He served as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945. At the end of WWII, Bill returned to Texas.
At 21, Bill re-focused his energy and enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Art as an Illustration major. What followed was a whirlwind of success, great friendships and a sense of belonging he had never before experienced. Art was his calling and the art-world could not have been less prepared for the likes of Bill Shields. He took them by storm, first Houston, then San Francisco, followed by New York in the late 60's. For 35 years, Bill produced some of the country's best illustrations: fresh, playful, loose and innovative. His illustrations were coveted by such clients as Bantam Books, Time Life, MacMillan Publishing Co., and were awarded numerous gold medals by the Societies of Illustrators in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the Houston Artists Guild.

Later, following inspirational trips to Mexico and France, Bill shifted his attention to the self-directed world of fine art. After years of sculpting, making assemblages, painting nudes and landscapes, he settled on the exploration of large abstract oil paintings. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries in San Francisco, Connecticut and New York.

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From Studio MGH

Female Nude Charcoal Drawing 5, 2011

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oil on canvas

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D Tongen

1980's Cubist "Orange, Brown, Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing, c. 1980

soft pastel and pencil on paper

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Jack Hooper

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Acrylic paint over magazine page

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Chauncey Hare

1971 "Wintersville Ohio" Attr. Chauncey Hare Black & White Photograph, 1971

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View All Artworks

Provenance

Additional Artworks

Female Nude Charcoal Drawing 5, 2011

"Golden Statue", c. 2005

1991 "Study I" Abstract Drawing Acclaimed Illustrator Bill Shields, 1991

1990 "8:40 PM - All is Well" Abstract Painting on Panel William Shields Acclaimed Illustrator, 1990

Untitled, 1990

1980's Cubist "Orange, Brown, Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing, c. 1980

"Green Nude 2" 1980s Jack Hooper Painting, c. 1980

1971 "Wintersville Ohio" Attr. Chauncey Hare Black & White Photograph, 1971