The Ohio Statehouse Rotunda
In 2024, William completed a monumental painting for the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda honoring the legendary astronauts of Ohio — from John Glenn to the shuttle era. It now hangs among the most significant public artworks in the building.
“The entire history of NASA is in your painting.”
Gene Kranz, NASA Flight Director
The Process
A painting this size doesn't begin with paint. It begins with a full-scale charcoal underdrawing, gridded up from a small study and transferred inch by inch onto a canvas twelve feet across — every figure, every proportion, worked out in charcoal before a single brushstroke goes down.
The full-scale charcoal underdrawing, gridded and transferred before any paint was applied
The finished canvas in the studio, before it ever left for Columbus
The Unveiling
The painting was hung in front of Governor Mike DeWine, NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz, and a room full of dignitaries who understood exactly what it meant for Ohio — one of the most astronaut-rich states in the country, home to both John Glenn and Neil Armstrong — to have this history permanently on display in its own Statehouse.
Governor Mike DeWine, Gene Kranz, and other dignitaries at the unveiling
Ohioans in Space, permanently installed in the Rotunda
A Companion Piece
Painted to mark a century of Ohio aviation — from the Wright Brothers' first flight to the Apollo era — this companion piece traces the same Ohio sky from a different angle. It's on permanent display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton.
John Glenn, William, and Neil Armstrong — both Ohio-born astronauts — with the finished painting
Ohio Aviators: 100th Year of Flight, on permanent display at the Dayton Air Force Museum
A Related Work
William in his studio with the finished portrait of John Glenn — Ohio's first astronaut, and its most famous
Start Your Commission
Whether it's a family gathered across generations, a beloved pet, or a tribute to someone no longer with us — every piece begins with a conversation.
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