Ojai Wine Festival

Poster and Artist

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The Annual Ojai Wine Festival Poster
William Dorsey

William Dorsey

Portrait by Donna Granata – 1998

Painted by impressionist William Dorsey

We get many compliments on the beautiful artwork on our annual poster for the Ojai Wine Festival. The landscape of Ojai’s prominent Post Office Tower and downtown Arcade that captures the town’s famous “Pink Moment” of the valley’s mountains has become not just our logo for the Ojai Wine Festival but also a famous icon for the city of Ojai. William Dorsey has generously allowed us to use his artwork every year and for that we are very grateful.

Willaim Dorsey 1942-2019

It is with great sadness that the Rotary Club of Ojai West Foundation and the Ojai Wine Festival learned of the tragic passing of landscape painter William B. Dorsey. On the evening of April 29, 2019, Mr. Dorsey died after being hit by a pickup truck while walking across a street in Palm Desert, California.

Primarily self-taught, William was best known as a California Landscape Painter. His paintings were reminiscent of the California Impressionists with rich atmospheric perspective and depth. It is important to note that William had difficulty seeing distance due to an eye condition. He would create the illusion of depth with skillful painting techniques and his sophisticated use of color.

California Impressionist William Dorsey traveled and painted throughout California, the American South-West and Alaska for nearly fifty years. Painting for William was synonymous with discovery. On an excursion into the landscape he could forget to take food and water but he would never be without easel, paint, canvas and wonderment! His love for the natural world and his passion for the art of painting produced some of the finest and well collected examples of American Impressionist landscape paintings.

William’s paintings were frequently available on the secondary market, in antique stores and auction houses, where they were often paired with early California painters such as Edgar Payne, William Wendt and Ray Strong. William would joke that when collectors met him, “They were always surprised that I am still alive.” (Written by Focus on the Masters)

For more information about William Dorsey, please visit:

William B. Dorsey

https://www.artnet.com/artists/william-dorsey/past-auction-results