WELCOME! Thank you for taking the time to visit my web site and view samples of my paintings. My name is William Thomas Chambers. To introduce you to my work I will begin by sharing with you a brief history of my career, as well as my philosophy on the fine art of portrait painting.

As far back as I can remember I have always been drawing. My interest in painting people began when I was attending art school in Chicago. Life drawing was one of the prerequisite classes for any art student, but it quickly became my favorite class as I studied the beauty of the human figure. Outside of class I studied human anatomy extensively through the reading of anatomical books and executing my knowledge through countless hours of drawing. This love of the figure continued into my art career where I began as an illustrator, which was very beneficial in my development as an artist. By necessity I developed a strong discipline in my work as well as skills in composition, design, and especially in draftsmanship. Illustration turned out to be a great training ground for portraiture and the move from illustration to the fine art of portrait painting was a very natural progression.

Portraiture combines the best of all aspects of painting - landscape, still-life, genre - into one canvas, and demands the utmost of skill and heart. I employ all the elements of my landscape or still-life paintings into my portraits, with the added challenge of capturing my subject's personality, of conveying the true spirit of the person, to be readily expressed in the portrait. When I begin a new painting, whether it is a child or an adult, I approach the painting with excitement and reverence, ready to depict in oil the true essence of the individual. Throughout the painting process I keep ever in mind the words of Charles W. Hawthorn, "Approach your subject in all humility and reverence - make yourself highly sensitive to its beauty."

I invite you to view the portraits I have selected from my portfolio, which include a sampling of paintings in different categories, such as personal, corporate, and official commissions. Any image, when clicked will enlarge to show detail.