BILL BOMAR (1919-1990)Bill Bomar was born in Fort Worth, Texas and began painting at the young age of seven, reportedly after his interest in art had been sparked by sitting for a portrait by Murray Bewley. Learning oil painting from Sallie Blythe Mummert and watercolor technique from Joseph G. Bakos, Bomar painted exclusively with oils until the age of sixteen. In 1940 and 1941 he attended Cranbrook Art Academy and in 1942 began studying with John Sloan in New York, with whom he would later work with Sloan in Santa Fe. After working from the human figure, Bomar studied under Amédée Ozenfant for one year and later balanced out the strict academicism with his study under Hans Hoffman.Bomar first exhibited in a group show, Six Texas Painters, at the Weyhe Gallery in New York in 1944. This show was followed by numerous one-man and group exhibitions. After his move to Taos, Bomar exhibited widely in New Mexico and Texas while continuing to show in New York. Despite his residency in New York and Taos, Bomar always remained connected to Fort Worth, taking frequent trips to interact with artist friends, such as Marjorie Johnson-Lee, Cynthia Brants, and Kelly Fearing. This allowed him to play a key role in the Fort Worth Circle, even though he lived primarily outside of Fort Worth. In 1980, Bomar, with cousin Reilly Nail co-founded the Old Jail Art Center to which Bomar remained committed until his death in 1991. A 1955 New York Times article commented that Bomar tended to dramatize what he saw, turning a grove of tall trees into a quiver of arrows shooting at the blue sky; letting pink houses in Taos all but lose themselves in a pinker sky, or turning a cloudscape over mountains into a giant scenic effect. In short, like Turner, a landscape for him was not a passive spectacle but an emotional force. At its best this was exhilarating work.Selected Biographical and Career Highlights• 1919, Born in Fort Worth• 1940-41, Attends Cranbrook Art Academy, Michigan (studies with John Sloan)• 1972, Moves to Ranchos de Taos• 1990, Dies in Clovis, New MexicoSelected Exhibitions• 1941-44, 1947-48, Texas General Exhibition• 1942-44, 1947-49, Annual Fort Worth Local Artists Show• 1943, Annual Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, New York• 1948, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston• 1948, 1951, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts• 1952, Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin• 1958, Whitney Museum of American Art, New YorkSelected Public Collections• Museums of Abilene• University of Texas, Austin• Dallas Museum of Art• Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston• Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe• Harwood Foundation, Taos• Brooklyn Museum, New York• Guggenheim Museum, New York