I was born in October of 1945 and grew up on the campus of St. George’s School in Middletown, RI. I was raised by my mother, Kitty, a well regarded portrait painter and my father, Norris, who was a renowned sailor, writer, and photographer. I spent much of my childhood sailing and painting. In 1963 I graduated from St. George’s School and then from Yale in 1967 with a major in fine art. In 1968 I was commissioned at the United States Navy Officer Candidate School. I served on the staff of COMSIXTHFLEET where I was recognized for my artistic abilities. Consequently I was detailed to paint portraits of admirals and create a portfolio of paintings of fleet activities for the Naval Art Collection. In 1970 I returned to civilian life and came to Vermont.
My subjects have included marine, landscape, and intimate domestic still lifes. They share my interests in the effects of light at a particular moment. The threads of the canvas, the sea, Vermont, Maine, my family and friends have woven themselves inextricably into my psyche and my work. I have painted professionally for the past fifty years and am included in many private and corporate collections including Steven and Dayna Bochco, John and Gwen McCaw, Senator Claiborne and Nuala Pell, Laurence and Mary Rockefeller, Charles and Anne Sincerbeaux, Beth Webster, Bank of America, and many others. -- William B. Hoyt, II