February 2016 Artist Profile: Bill Moomey

Bill Moomey

Award-Winning Artist Bill Moomey Solo Exhibition at Madaras Gallery

Madaras Gallery, Inc. is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of the paintings of Bill Moomey.  The show opens Thursday, February 4 with an artist’s reception from 5 – 7 p.m. and continues through Thursday, February 19 at Madaras Gallery, Inc., 3001 E. Skyline Dr., 520 615-3001.

Bill Moomey was born and raised in Nebraska during the infamous Dust Bowl era. During those pre-TV, computer, and cell phone years, most of the after-school activities centered on sports.

At York High School, Bill was All-State on an undefeated football team, leading scorer on a state championship basketball team, and undefeated in the sprints and hurdles in track. He set an all-time record in the state pentathlon championship. Moomey went on to attend the University of Nebraska where he excelled in track and played football for the Cornhuskers. At the York Nebraska Centennial Celebration, Moomey was honored as "Athlete of the Century."

While still in high school, Moomey met Terrance Duren, a well-known New York illustrator, who had retired to his native Nebraska. Duren saw some of Moomey's drawings at a local art show and offered to teach him the fundamentals of painting.

At Duren's insistence, Moomey entered one of his early paintings in a national competition sponsored by Scholastic Magazine. The painting won first place and was subsequently hung in the Library of Congress. It later sold, and it was then that Moomey realized that art could be more than just fun -- it could be a vocation.

Moomey was determined to be an artist, wherever that might take him. And, it has taken him many places; he is an award-winning designer, film producer, rodeo champion, big band singer, hall of fame athlete, author, big game hunter and breeder of world champion quarter horses.

Bill taught painting and design at the University of Nebraska and the University of Colorado. He was Director of the Denver Art Academy, Charter President of the Art Directors Club of Denver and Co-Founder of the International Design Conference in Aspen, Colorado. Moomey's work is represented in 15 countries and is found in some of the most prestigious galleries and museums throughout the United States.

Friends of Western Art (FWA) honored Bill Moomey as 2015 Artist of the Year at its 42nd Annual Dinner. Moomey was recognized for his lifetime contribution to Western art.

Today, Moomey lives in Vail, Arizona, where he paints and produces monumental bronzes at his X9 Ranch Studio. For further information on the artist and his work, see www.BillMoomey.com