William Trauger grew up in Newburgh, New York, where the rolling hills of Upstate New York gave William inspiration for a lifetime of painting. His childhood was spent hiking in the summers and skiing in the winters. William often brought a sketchbook on hikes and sketching became more important than hiking. At the age of 16, William began using paint to embellish his rough sketches he brought back from hiking. While William lived as an average teenager playing football, basketball and baseball throughout high school, art became his priority by the age of 18.
William was accepted to the Savannah College of Art & Design, but after a year decided the environment at The Pratt Institute was more suitable. He studied Illustration and Communications Design. William was exhilarated by the Brooklyn, New York campus. Even so, his preference to live in quiet rural places was confirmed. After getting his Bachelors from The Pratt Institute, William accepted a job near his hometown of Newburgh as an industrial designer and illustrator. William had a studio space in his home through these years. He dreamed of painting full-time, but it wasn't until he moved to Georgia three years later that he was inspired to. William cites meeting his girlfriend for the first time as a catalyst for many such changes in his life. He says, "Meeting her is when the best part of my life began." Mary's encouragement helped William step outside the belief that he had to have a full-time salaried job.
William continues to fine-tune his painting style and he has developed a loyal group of national and international collectors.
