At the age of sixteen I started work as a studio boy in an advertising studio in the City of London, which means that I am entirely self taught. It also accounts for my describing my style as eclectic as, having not had any formal training, it was never suggested (happily) that I found one.

Eclectic is the only way I can describe my pictures and paintings as I do not ascribe to any particular style of art..

I group my art under the headings Still life, Figures, Abstract, Floral and Humour, but within those groupings is a large diversity of styles and mediums. I also create
small statuettes.

Gallery Comment: Bill seems to go where his whimsy takes him. A talented painter without a predetermined category or “box” which he conveniently fits into. His modeling of the figures he paints shows a sculptural bent which is also seen in the small three dimensional figures he creates. Sometimes abstract, sometimes figurative, sometimes humorous, and at other times formal and elegant, he is always precise and meticulous. Handling color with a guided intuition that is not common. Botten is an explorer, wandering in search of an ever elusive ideal, leaving behind him traces of discoveries of rare finesse.