William Biddle
1937-2023
Born with a paint brush in his hand in 1937, William Biddle (Bill) was raised in Hamilton, Ontario. With his talent quickly discovered, at the age of 14, Bill packed his bags and moved on his own to study drawing and painting at the Art Students League in New York, N.Y. and at the American School of Design.
For 23 years he taught at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, Ontario, as well as the Mississauga Visual Arts Centre, the Oakville Art Centre, and taught classes in drawing, acrylics and watercolours at the Dundas Valley School of Art. He continued teaching and working full time right to the end at his gallery located in Dunnville, Ontario where he thoroughly enjoyed the friendships built over the many years and his involvement with Paddles of the Grand. Bill was also known for the many book covers and illustrations featured in the Harlequin romance book series, calendars as well as “Great Moments in Canadian Sports” on display at the Sports History Museum in Vanier City.
When he wasn’t sketching his next project, he could be found working hard (or sleeping) in his garden, watching sports or making mediocre dad jokes. Over his life, he was a man of many activities including skiing, squash, baseball, hockey, running and trying to keep up to his cherished wife, Pam.
If you asked Bill what he did for a living, he would simply say he painted houses.