William E. Preston (1930 - 2015) American
Watercolor on Paper
Measure 11 1/4"in H x 15 1/2"in W and 20 1/4"in H x 24 1/4in W with frame

Known for: Plein air seascape and landscape painting, ink drawing, illustration
Biography: On April 26th, 2015, at the dimming of a New Mexican spring day, William E. Preston, 84, spent his last hours with his wife and a dear friend. Albinoni's Adagio played as he slept. The Essential Rumi, among other Eastern spiritual texts, and a stack of parting words from art collectors, students, and loved ones lay on his bedside table. Only months after he grew too weak for his brushes, William, a consummate artist, flew toward a secret sky. William had dedicated his life to art-his childhood passion and anchor. After twenty years in his New Mexican home, with his works in corporate collections on both coasts, William once again grew restless. This journey, however, did not call for highways or strange towns. In this journey inward, William immersed himself in the study of Eastern spiritual writers, where he found his new artistic territory: the merging of his unique southwestern voice and the sumi-e painting tradition. His first sumi-e solo exhibition was fittingly entitled "Light that casts no shadow," marking the last decade of his long career. William received this news as his struggle with end-stage renal failure intensified. When his brushes and guitar began to gather dust after more than sixty-five years of dedicated painting and practicing, William once again grew restless. He withdrew from dialysis in early April 2015. His heart and soul embraced the wide roadway, and led him to the ultimate, unknown territory. This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet.-Rumi

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