A TidBit#1 - William Joseph Verdult
William Joseph Verdult known as the “Dutch Master” was born April 7, 1939 in Putte, Netherlands on the Belgium-Holland border.
Born during German’s occupation of his country, the first two years of his life were spent in a hospital. Throughout his early years he suffered from small-pox, and rheumatic fever. In 1950 at the age of eleven he moved with his family to America and spent his youth in North Dakota. Self taught he started painting around this time. His years in the Dakotas helped define some of his works today.
Later his family moved to Long Island New York. Though a bright student, he had little interest in school. To help his family at sixteen he went to work in a machinist factory. After work William spent most of his time in Time Square, New York drawing, painting, watching and studying people of all colors and nationalities.
In 1960, at 21, William and his family moved to California and Newport Beach-Balboa Island became home.
Completely self-taught, within a year he had sold his paintings in Newport, Palm Springs, Laguna and Los Angeles, California. Awarded “Artist of the Year” by the Costa Mesa Art League, nearly 35 years later his works are still displayed in Costa Mesa.
While exhibiting his work at the Catalina Island Exhibit and at the Laguna Art Festival in California, he caught the attention of Peter Paul Ott, sculptor whom he studied under. Afterwards he studied with Stanley Brooks and Danny Garcia at the Carmel School of Art. He taught at the school as well. In 1967, he opened his own gallery in Carmel, California.
Go here for William Joseph Verdult Biographical Publication
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