William Gerrish was born in 1955, in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, on the border of the US and Canada. Growing up in a small town and surrounded by natural beauty, William enjoyed the times fishing with his father, particularly along their favorite trout stream. Exploring the four seasons would establish a profound base of emotions as a creative spirit.
At a very young age, William sat spread legs on the floor intently watching the television. An artist, Jon Gnagy, instructed him how to draw using the forms; cube, ball, cone and cylinder in the show, Learn To Draw with Jon Gnagy. Never missing a program, this young boy was captured by the mystic of drawing pictures..
From 1973 to 1975, he attended Kendall School of Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, receiving certification in illustration. Additional studies at Kendall School of Design included, art history, life drawing, painting, printmaking and 3-dimensional sculpture.
From 1975 to the present, William has made his livelihood, in part, in the field of commercial art, delivering to thousands of individuals, small businesses, corporations and non-profit organizations, illustrations, print & display graphics and scale models. Always within reach have been his fine art tools. His drawings, paintings, assemblages and sculptures are found in private collections in the US, Canada and Europe.
Solo Exhibitions
2010 “Fish Stories & Other Works”, Olive M. Craig Gallery, Sault Sainte Marie, MI
A collection of 38 framed assemblages and sculptures
Juried Group Exhibitions (*Award)
2024 41st Juried Open Exhibition, Visual Arts Alliance,
Reeves Art + Design, Houston, TX
Juror: Gus Kopriva, President, Redbud Arts Center, Houston, TX
2024 40th Juried Membership Exhibition, Visual Arts Alliance,
Redbud Arts Center, Houston, TX
Juror: Tanja Peterson, Executive Director, Redbud Arts Center, Houston, TX
2022 38th Juried Membership Exhibition, Visual Arts Alliance,
Sabine Street Studios, Houston, TX
Juror: Lester Marks, Mayor's Ambassador to the Arts, Houston, TX
2019 36th Juried Open Exhibition, Visual Arts Alliance, Silver Street Studios, Houston, TX
Juror: Christine Jelson West, Cultural Programs Manager, Houston First, Houston TX
2018 35th Juried Open Exhibition, Visual Arts Alliance, BLUEorange Gallery, Houston, TX
Juror: Molly Glentzer, Houston Chronicle, Arts, Design & Culture Writer
2017 35th Juried Membership Exhibition*, Visual Arts Alliance,
Spring Street Studios, Houston, TX
Juror: Cindy Lisica, PhD, Cindy Lisica Gallery, Houston TX
2017 12th Juried Invitational Exhibition, Visual Arts Alliance, The Silos at Sawyer, Houston, TX
Juror: Catherine D. Anspon, Executive Editor, PaperCity Magazine, Houston TX
2017 The First 100 Days, Artists Respond, The Silos at Sawyer, Houston, TX
Curator: Matt Adams, President, Visual Arts Alliance, Houston, TX
2017 34th Juried Open Exhibition, Visual Art Alliance, Spring Street Studios, Houston, TX
Juror: Rachel Cook, Curator, Diverseworks, Houston, TX
2017 11th Juried Invitational Exhibition*, Visual Arts Alliance, The Silos at Sawyer, Houston, TX
Juror: Lester Marks, Mayor's Ambassador to the Arts, Houston, TX
2016 34th Juried Membership Exhibition, Visual Art Alliance,
Spring Street Studios, Houston, TX
Juror: Zoya Tommy, Zoya Tommy Gallery, Houston, TX
2016 10th Juried Invitational Exhibition*, Visual Arts Alliance,
Spring Street Studios, Houston, TX
Juror: Jennifer Justice, Executive Director, Galveston Arts Center, TX
2016 33rd Juried Open Exhibition, Visual Arts Alliance, BLUEorange Gallery, Houston, TX
Juror: Dan Allison, D. M. Allison Gallery, Houston, TX
2014 “Artist’s Choice II”, Annual Juried Exhibition, Olive M. Craig Gallery, Sault Sainte Marie, MI
2013 “Artist’s Choice”, Annual Juried Exhibition, Olive M. Craig Gallery, Sault Sainte Marie, MI
2012 “Then & Now”, Annual Juried Exhibition, Olive M. Craig Gallery, Sault Sainte Marie, MI
2011 ARTPRIZE 2011, Open Concept Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI
An international art exhibition of 1,582 artists from 42 states and 36 countries
2009 “Home”, Annual juried exhibition*, Olive M. Craig Gallery, Sault Sainte Marie, MI
2009 Annual Juried Exhibition, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey, MI
2009 Greater Michigan Art Exhibition, The Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI
2006 “Blues”, Annual juried exhibition, Olive M. Craig Gallery, Sault Sainte Marie, MI
2005 “It’s Not What It Seems”, Annual juried exhibition,
Olive M. Craig Gallery, Sault Sainte Marie, MI
Invitational Exhibitions
2010 “Celebration of Form Exhibition", Olive M. Craig Gallery, Sault Sainte Marie, MI
2009 Annual Gallery Board Exhibition, Olive M. Craig Gallery, Sault Sainte Marie, MI
2003-04 “Drawing Continuum”, quarterly group exhibition, Art League of Houston, Houston, TX
* Awards
2017 2rd Place Visual Arts Alliance, 35th Juried Membership Exhibition
Juror: Cindy Lisica, PhD, Cindy Lisica Gallery, Houston TX
2017 Honorable Mention Visual Arts Alliance, 11th Juried Invitational Exhibition,
Juror: Lester Marks, Mayor's Ambassador to the Arts, Houston, TX
2016 3rd Place Visual Arts Alliance, 10th Juried Invitational Exhibition
Juror: Jennifer Justice, Executive Director, Galveston Arts Center, TX
2009 2 Honorable Mentions “Home”, Annual Juried Exhibition, Olive M. Craig Gallery,
Juror: Russ Mason, Arts Council of Sault Sainte Marie & District, ON, Canada
Affiliations
Visual Arts Alliance, Houston, TX, Member/Exhibitions Volunteer