Bill Ackerbauer
Self Portrait, Pastel on paper. “I just recently (in January 2021) started experimenting with soft pastels for the first time since high school.” Bill Ackerbauer.
Bill Ackerbauer, who is known locally as a songwriter and a member of the band The Insolent Willies, revived his interest in visual art last year, spending more time creating at home amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Bill lives in Johnstown with his wife, Jen, and sons Liam, Carter, and Finnegan.
Bill's visual art is mainly, but not exclusively, acrylic painting and watercolor-and-ink illustration with a distinct folk-art influence. He will have pieces on display at the Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts' Spring 2021 exhibition, and he's recently had works shown in Saratoga Arts' "Breaking the Grid" virtual exhibit. All the pieces shown here were made since the start of the pandemic in the spring of 2020.
You can stream audio from his band's latest album while you browse his portfolio:
Pineapple Triumphant., acrylic on paper. Who doesn't love vividly colored fruit?
Marconi Beach, watercolor and ink sketch. This was one of several sketches I did on the beach while visiting Cape Cod last summer.
St. John's Church, watercolor and ink sketch. St. John's Episcopal Church is a landmark in downtown Johnstown, situated right across Market Street from the birthplace of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
The Reverend, acrylic on paper. The Rev. Gary Davis was a gospel and blues singer with a powerful, unique guitar style. He died the year I was born, but I've had the chance to meet several of the musicians who learned from him in New York City in the 1960s. One of those guys carrying the torch is Roy Book Binder, who I opened for at a SVAN-sponsored concert several years ago. I should paint a portrait of Roy sometime.
Fiddling Past the Graveyard, watercolor and ink sketch. Perhaps the musicians needed to step away from their jam momentarily for refreshments?
Get Your Motor Runnin', watercolor and ink sketch.
Gloversville Scene, watercolor and ink sketch of the view from the corner of Fremont and East Fulton Streets in Gloversville.
Harmonica, watercolor and ink sketch of an antique Hohner Chromatic harmonica. A new addition to my collection of instruments, this harmonica was owned by a man who performed on the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early '60s