William
J. Zeigler (1911-1999) studied art at Tyler School of Fine Arts (Temple University), and at the Graphic Sketch Club (now Fleischer Memorial). He was first
recognized for his watercolors and drawings of Manayunk, Germantown, Society
Hill, and other areas of Philadelphia. Drawing was the backbone of his work,
and color was very important. He used both to “move the viewer around the work
and to its focus – to capture a quality of light or make something vibrate”.
Whimsy often characterized his later work. Paintings such as Arrowhead
Universe and Stable Such a Striped Steed carried deeper meaning and
were sometimes autobiographical.
He exhibited nationally at American Watercolor Society, National Academy of Design, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Butler Institute of Fine Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Mainstreams – Marietta, Ohio, The Allied Artists of America, Inc., National Arts Club, N.Y., and Easton Academy of Arts. In the Philadelphia area he exhibited with Philadelphia Watercolor Club, Philadelphia Sketch Club, The Plastic Club, Woodmere Art Museum, Berman Art Museum, Moore College of Art, Chester County Art Association, the former Philadelphia Art Teachers Association, the American College at Bryn Mawr, Noyes Museum of Art, and local galleries and art centers. He was the recipient of many awards and his work is in the permanent collections of Woodmere Art Museum, Blue Cross, and other corporate and private institutions. He is featured in Speaking for Themselves: The Artists of Southeastern Pennsylvania, published in 2003.
Membership in fine art professional organizations included American Watercolor Society (Active/Signature Member), National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic, and Philadelphia Watercolor Club (holding offices of Secretary, Treasurer and Member of the Board of Directors). He was a member of the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Woodmere Art Museum. Prior to its conversion from Woodmere Art Gallery to Woodmere Art Museum he served as Interim Director, as a member of the Board of Trustees, and as co-chairman of its Exhibition Committee. He was one of the founders and former president of the Manayunk Art Center, and was a member of Chester County Art Association. He taught painting and drawing classes at Woodmere Art Museum, Morris Arboretum, and local art centers, and served as a juror for many professional shows.
He had a life long passion for painting, and absorbed everything he could read and experience, not only in the art world, but also in a broad range of subjects that enriched his work. He had given up an art scholarship during the Depression to study architecture and help support the family. As a registered architect with several Philadelphia firms, he made significant contributions to commercial and ecclesiastical design. In 1963, beset with health problems, he set up an office in his home and began to dedicate more time to his art. His drive to explore new ways of expressing himself, and the love and support of his wife, Louise, kept him going in spite of many challenges. He never lost his eye for beauty in his surroundings and never stopped growing and expanding in creativity.