William F. Shepherd: 1943 – 2024
William F. Shepherd, a still-life and landscape artist, was born in Casper, Wyoming. His father Walter (Shep) M. Shepherd owned Shepherd Motors in Casper and was a prominent leader (President) in the Central Wyoming State Fair. He attended the Natrona County public schools. His father and his mother, Mary Alice (MA) Brown, also had a small property outside of town where Bill learned about ranch life. He had two siblings, Suzanne (deceased) and W.M. Shepherd of Hot Springs, Arkansas. He graduated high school from Missouri Military Academy.
Bill enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a corpsman/medic in the early years of the Vietnam war, assigned to the Marine Corps. He served on South Vietnamese border near the Demilitarized Zone, where his unit engaged is some of the most heavy combat operations in the war. Upon the passing of his father, he returned to the US to serve out the rest of his military service.
Bill enrolled at the University of Wyoming on the GI Bill, where he studied art, earning a BFA in 1974 and an MFA in 1976. Settling in Laramie, he embarked on his lifelong career as an artist, painting both abstract and still-life works. His work became a study of movement, light, and color saturation, evolving into a signature exploration of these dynamic elements.
In the late 1970s, he began visiting galleries in Santa Fe and moved to Galisteo. He was mentored by Arlene LewAllen, a Santa Fe arts educator and gallerist who helped introduce Bill to the commercial art world. He settled in Nambé and spent most of the rest of his life living and painting at Las Acequias farm. Among his many friends in the Santa Fe art scene was his former partner, the late Gayle Maxon, Director of Contemporary Art and curator at the Gerald Peters Gallery.
During his early years in New Mexico, Bill painted trout streams, refining his craft and dedicating himself to capturing the motion of water and the light refraction off objects submerged beneath its surface on large oil canvases. He became renowned for his striking depictions of river rocks beneath rushing water, rendered on expansive canvases that conveyed both movement and depth.
Throughout his life, Bill had a deep love for the outdoors and adventure. He enjoyed hunting, trout fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, and cycling with friends and family. An avid traveler, he explored North America extensively, preferring long drives that allowed him to take in the countryside. A black belt in karate, he had a lifelong fascination with Samurai swords and collected several over the years. He also took great joy in participating in the Mother’s Day Whitewater Races on the Río Grande, an annual tradition in New Mexico. Bill embraced both the challenge of the whitewater and the camaraderie of the event, making it a cherished part of his life.
He frequently traveled to Mexico, exploring remote villages, camping, and collecting folk art. He kayaked across the Sea of Cortez, forming friendships with environmentalists in Baja California. His painting of the vaquita, a critically endangered porpoise native to the region, was featured on a Mexican postage stamp.
His artistic focus evolved from landscapes to still lifes depicting Western themes, which he painted in his adobe studio in Nambé. His oil paintings featured Navajo weavings, Hopi Kachinas, Pueblo pottery, Mexican souvenirs, and cowboy memorabilia—objects he meticulously collected during his travels throughout the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. This period marked the culmination of his mastery of light and shadow, as he developed a unique technique that captured the intricate surface topologies and morphologies of his subjects with absolute realism. His work became a study in precision, where every texture, reflection, and interplay of light was rendered with remarkable depth and authenticity.
He received numerous awards at Western art exhibitions, and his work is featured in the permanent collections of the St. Louis Art Museum, Lamar University, the University of Wyoming Art Museum, the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, and the Hirshhorn Collection in Washington, D.C., among others. His work is also held in private collections across the United States, including those of some of Wyoming’s most prominent figures—individuals who recognize and invest in exceptional art.
Bill’s legacy in American Realism continues through his works, which are represented at LewAllen Galleries in the Santa Fe Railyard.
He is survived by his son, Matthew Girard Maxon with his wife, Aleishall; in-laws, Alexis and Marshall Girard; granddaughters, Toscana Paz and Matiz Pascal Girard Maxon; and his brother, W.M. Shepherd. He was a cherished uncle to William Carey Brewster, Jr of Lakewood, Colorado.
Bill’s family and many friends will miss his sense of humor and his zest for life.
–written by Donna Berg, Robin Martin and Bill Brewster.
