Bill Sullivan, the artist, is a rather recent persona; fashioning contemporary art from wood required a complete about-face from his long time career as a mortgage banker and real estate developer. By the time he chose to retire in 1985, the one thing that was clearest in Sullivan's mind was that he wanted to leave the stuffy coat and tie world behind, and begin doing work with his hands. His first venture into the creative realm was baking cakes - an endeavor that was quite successful until he ran out of friends and family who appreciated his culinary talents. Next, he built a full-sized replica of a Porsche. Although that effort was a bit more saleable, it still didn't make his heart sing. That music lay just around the corner, however.
One afternoon, Sullivan accompanied his wife, Shirley, a professional interior designer, to view the elegant décor she had created for the newly-remodeled Café Central. Looking at the black and white Lynda Lynch abstracts she had selected for the walls, he suddenly announced, "I think I could have done the art for this place." Shirley was astounded. “Since he had never done any artwork in his life, that revelation came as a shock to me,” she confides.
Realizing at last that what he really wanted to do with his life was to build with his hands the things that were in his heart, Sullivan began experimenting with ideas in his Upper Valley garage. In his mind, he envisioned wall art that would resemble giant jigsaw puzzles. To attain this look, he began by cutting shapes out of 3/8-inch fine particle board, much like one would cut cookies from a sheet of dough. The next step was to paint these forms - animals, flowers or simple geometric shapes - in a plethora of vibrant colors and then reinsert them into the master sheet of wood which had been attached to a backing. To complete the look, thin strips of wood were glued to the sides forming a self frame.
It wasn't long before Sullivan wanted to add more dimension to his pieces. Realizing, however, that additional wood meant too much weight, his next experiment was to cut free-forms out of Styrofoam, and then cover them with fabric. This technique unleashed trees, flowers, animals and other wondrous shapes that grew into a world of their own. Influenced by the work of Louise Nevelson, the artist continued to follow his own muses, designing not only wall art but unique décor boxes and even furniture such as consoles and tables.
By the late 1990s, Sullivan had built up enough confidence in his work to show it in exhibitions at the Bridge Center for Contemporary Art and was also accepting commission work, but he still did not have any formal gallery representation. This stage in his career would come thanks to a cat. It seems that fellow artist Evelyn Ainsa needed to down-size her collection of feline friends when she moved from her home in Sunset Heights into a smaller apartment.
Shirley relates, "When Evelyn came out to bring us a kitty, she took time to look at Bill's art, and then next thing she did was call Hal Marcus. Before long, Marcus was offering Sullivan his first one man show.” From that point forward, his art career began to fall into place just like the pieces from the architectural puzzle art for which he is best known. As on ongoing fan of Sullivan's work, Marcus comments, "I'm an avid collector of artwork of all types, but of all the artists I've met, I feel that Bill Sullivan is the most original. He has created a language all his own.”
Year after year, Sullivan's work continues to evolve.
He jests, "I learn as I go. Because I assemble most of my work in a flat position, I never know quite how it will look until I see it hanging on the wall."
Seeking additional challenges, the artist has begun to produce a series of more complicated free floating pieces. He attains this look by dividing his original cut-outs into two halves using a wavy rather than a straight cut. Working thus, it is not unusual to see a composition consisting of nothing but free floating bananas as in "Orangotango." Bold colors remain another hallmark of Sullivan's creations. Red, blue, green and yellow animals gather beneath the form of a windmill in "Pack-Red and Pack-Blue," or contrast one another in "Portal."
Looking at nature-inspired works such as "Birdsong" and "Marshland," it is also clear that the Sullivans' 1997 move to country acreage near La Union has also been a major influence on his imagery. Whenever the artist hits a creative block, he simply settles into a chair on the patio which adjoins his studio and allows the serene view of the Franklin Mountains to revive his creative juices.
Sullivan also finds added inspiration by viewing the work of other contemporary artists. Shirley confides, "Last October, we made a trip to New York, and I've never seen anybody so happy visiting all the different museums. The smile on his face was a joy to see." Although it came late in life, there is little doubt that Bill Sullivan has at last found his heart's desire.
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