Bill Donahue has been involved in art from a very young age.  In high school he had planned to go to Pratt Art Institute in N.Y.C. and pursue a career in art.  He decided instead to join the Navy and afterwards attended college in business, received an M.B.A. and had a career as a financial advisor working for the nation’s largest financial services firm.

Bill stayed active in art taking drawing and painting classes at the Atlanta College of Art and at the University of New Orleans and attended several watercolor workshops.   In 2005 he saw a brief news story about artistic woodturning and was so intrigued, he gave up painting and bought a lathe.  Since then, he has taken classes from some of the world’s most famous woodturners including Jimmy Clewes, Doug Barnes, Stephen Hatcher and Malcolm Zander.  

Bill’s biggest woodturning influence is Ron Kent, considered by art critics to be one of the great wood artists in history ( http://www.ronkent.com/).  After seeing one of Bill’s translucent Norfolk Island pine pieces, Ron sent Bill an email saying “I can’t imagine a better compliment than that I had any influence on this magnificent vessel. You’ve created an elegant profile that merges with and emphasizes the natural characteristics of that particular log. It’s a piece I’d have been proud to put my name on.”  

 
Bill has had two articles published in Woodturning Design magazine: “Pendants: A Family Project” and “Translucent Norfolk Island Pine.”  His work has won awards in the Pensacola Museum of Art’s Annual Member’s Show and at Artel Gallery.  In 2012, he received third place in the American Association of Woodturners contest to design a Christmas tree ornament.

  
In addition to woodturning Bill is active in long distant cycling, boating, fishing, and has been involved in underwater photography since the 1970’s.  Two of his recent underwater videos on YouTube can be found here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-S5Uij3fXY&t=230s      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-S5Uij3fXY&t=230s

All of the wood used by Bill either comes from trees destroyed by storms or are decayed and cut down by arborists. Bill has a particular affinity for decayed wood and the unusual colors and patterns that can be discovered only by cutting into the rough exterior.  He says “to be able to transform an ugly, decayed log destined for the garbage dump into a beautiful piece of art is a real joy and that’s why I choose to work in wood.”