Bill Moomey was born and raised in York, Nebraska, during the infamous Dust Bowl. There he started in high school sports before excelling in track and football at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Moomey was honored as “Athlete of the Century” at the York Centennial Celebration.

During his high school years, Moomey met Terrance Duren, a well-known New York illustrator who offered to teach him the fundamentals of painting. When one of Moomey’s early paintings won first place in a Scholastic Magazine competition and was exhibited in the Library of Congress, before being sold, Moomey vowed to make art his vocation.

Moomey’s path to success has taken him many places. He is an award-winning designer, wildlife film producer, big band singer, hall of fame athlete, big game hunter, breeder of world champion quarter horses, and rodeo champion. He taught painting and design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and was Director of the Denver Art Academy.

Today, Moomey works in a style ranging from realism to contemporary impressionism and lets the subject determine the style. He says, “the more intense the subject becomes, the bigger the brushes and the broader the strokes.” He paints and produces monumental bronzes at his X9 Ranch Studio in Vail, Arizona.

Formal Education

• Muhlenberg College, Allentown PA
• B.A., Fine Arts, magna cum laude, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• M.A., M.F.A., Fine Arts, magna cum laude University of Colorado-Boulder
• Awarded graduate research scholarships two consecutive years

Personages Studied Under

• Ben Shahn,1950 Listed among the Top Ten Living Painters
• Max Beckmann, Leading Expressionist Painter
• Hal T. Wilmeth, Art Historian and Author, Rome, Italy
• Lee Burket, American Painter/Fulbright Scholar
• Bernard S. Myers, Art Historian, author of Modern Art in the Making
• Augusto Centeno, Author of numerous philosophy texts
• Dwight Kirsch, Director, Des Moines Art Center

Paintings and sculpture exhibited in museums and private collections throughout the U.S.

• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City KS
• Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha NE
• Museum of Modern Art, New York NY
• Schleier Museum, Denver CO
• Library of Congress, Washington D.C. – First Award, National Competition – Oil Painting
• Ten-State Invitational Exhibit, Omaha NE
• Springfield Gallery Purchase Award
• Seattle National Invitational Print Exhibit
• 24-State Invitational Art Expo, Denver CO
• Ben Simon Gallery, Purchase Award, Lincoln NE
• Walgreen Collection, Chicago
• McCormick Collection, Chicago

Professional Experience

• Taught drawing / design, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Taught design / painting, University of Colorado-Boulder
• Director, Denver Art Academy
• Co-Founder, Annual Aspen International Design Conference
• Charter President, Denver Art Directors Club
• President, Creative Director, Design International
• Chairman of the Board, Zoological Society of Milwaukee

Honors and Acknowledgments

• Winner of the Brahm Award Medal four consecutive years (Highest 24-state art achievement award)
• Member Top 15 Colorado Artists
• First Award, National Outdoor Design Competition – New York Advertising Club
• First Award, two years, Best Package Design, National Folding Box Corporation of America
• Winner of National Lithographic Design ALSA Competition, New York
• Wrote and directed national award-winning films: On The Fifth Day with Lorne Green; Fly Back to Me with Byrn Piven; Rodeo with Chill Wills
• First ward, National Film Distributors competition for Best Short Subject Action Film, Cougar
• Produced award-winning Vince Lombardi TV series
• Member Delta Phi Delta (National Honorary Art Society)
• Keynote speaker, National POS Design Convention, New York
• Wrote and illustrated the book Dad Always Said
• Illustrated the book Trampled Terraces by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Ray McConnell, Jr.
• Wrote and illustrated weekly sports column, Lincoln State Journal
• Selected 2004 Artist of the Year, Los Charros de Vaqueros, Tucson AZ
• Named 2005 Artist of the Year, Mountain Oyster Club, Tucson AZ
• Named 2015 Artist of the Year, Friends of Western Art, Tucson AZ
• Leading Breeder in the Nation (three consecutive years), American Quarter Horse Association
• Inductee, Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame, Football and Track
• Silver Medal Winner, Olympic Field Archery
• Past World Record Holder, 60-yard Indoor Low Hurdles
• Inductee, YHS Alumni Hall of Fame
• Inductee, Wisconsin Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame
• Voted “Athlete of the Century” York Nebraska Centennial