Bill Gura

William Andrew Gura was born in April 1956 in the steel town of North Braddock, PA. He began art training at the age of 11. In Junior high school, he attended art lessons at the Carnegie Museum. At Swissvale High School, he attended commercial art courses at the Forbes Trail Technical School. While in the Art Institute of Pittsburgh he joined the U.S. Navy and became an Illustrator/Draftsman while assigned to the U.S. Navy Presidential Honor Guard in Washington, D.C. His enlistment turned into a 20-year career, and he retired in January 1996 as a highly decorated Chief Illustrator/Draftsman.

After the military, he designed and fabricated museum exhibits for the Orange County History Museum in Orlando, FL. Shortly after that, he started working in the theme studios around town and became an independent scenic artist/carpenter. After 15 years of public creative design, he branched out to fabricate theme work and cabinetry for local churches. Having lived for 30 plus years in the Orlando area, he and his wife Dorothy relocated to the Loch Rane Estates in Orange Park, FL and William became an active member of the Art Guild of Orange Park. He has a large studio where he practices photography and art.

"Don't always believe what people tell you!!! I was told once that I wasn't an artist...I didn't listen to that negativity!!!"