Muskoka Barn

Muskoka Barn, © William Kratzer.
Collection of Renae Cristello.

Early Painting of the Artists Daughter.

One of my first paintings of my daughter. © William Kratzer.

Collection of the artists family.

It was a very rare thing for Bill Kratzer to choose people as a subject to paint. This one is one of my favourites, and one of the first paintings he did of my mother.

If you own any of Bill Kratzer's paintings, I would be very interested in hearing from you. Feel free to contact me through email williamkratzerpaintings@gmail.com

From Farm houses to Seascapes

 Old red farm house, © William Kratzer.

Collection of the artists family.

In the Harbour, © William Kratzer.

Collection of the artists family.

Seascape, © William Kratzer.

Collection of the artists family.

Bill Kratzer explored many different subjects, from farm houses to seascapes. Farm houses continued to inspire him throughout his career. The first image is an early example of that. 

Before focusing more of his attention on Algonquin wildlife and landscapes, Bill Kratzer also painted many seascapes. Growing up near the harbour in Hamburg Germany it's not a surprise that he wanted to explore this subject. There are still many out there for me to find and share.

This is just a small taste of different subjects. I'll be posting more soon. Hope you enjoy!

If you own any of Bill Kratzer's paintings, I would be very interested in hearing from you. Feel free to contact me through email williamkratzerpaintings@gmail.com

Haliburton winter mood

Haliburton winter mood, 24 x 48, circa. 1970's © William Kratzer.

Collection of  Bill and Rosemary Fraser.

As the weeks go by I've been getting more emails from people who have been searching for Kratzer paintings. This landscape scene Haliburton winter mood is from the early 1970's. Thank you very much Bill and Rosemary Fraser for contributing this image from your collection.

If you own any of Bill Kratzer's paintings, I would be very interested in hearing from you. Feel free to contact me through email williamkratzerpaintings@gmail.com

A glimpse at the collection of the artist's family.

Great Horned Owl, 30 x 36,  1984 © William Kratzer,

collection of the artist's family.

Blue jay in winter, 30 x 36, © William Kratzer.

collection of the artist's family.

Farm scene, 24 x 48, © William Kratzer.

collection of the artist's family.

Cabin by the lake, 36 x 48, © William Kratzer.

collection of the artist's family.

Autumn in Algonquin, 36 x 30, © William Kratzer.

collection of the artist's family.

Perched sparrow, 16 x 30, © William Kratzer.

collection of the artist's family.

I thought I'd start off with these paintings, all of which are part of the collection of the family.  There are still many more to be documented and I will be updating this blog with more images as they are collected. This is a brief glimpse at his work. Most of these are from his early/mid to mid-career, aside from the last one which was later on. I've found that much of his work , at least of what still belongs to the family is not dated. Fortunately, because of my connection to my grandfather and his work I can somewhat accurately guess as to when the painting was done. 

Hope everyone enjoys! More to come!

If you own any of Bill Kratzer's paintings, I would be very interested in hearing from you. Feel free to contact me through email williamkratzerpaintings@gmail.com

An Introduction to the artist William Kratzer

 Greetings Everyone!

I'm writing this first post to introduce you to the work of my grandfather William (Bill) Kratzer. I have been meaning to put together a collection his works for some time now and wanted to make it available online for everyone to see. Bill's career as an artist occurred before the internet became the widespread phenomenon it is now, with websites, blogs and all the other facets of expression being used today. Sitting here as I type this, I feel proud but also grateful to have the opportunity to do this  for  a man who meant so much to me in so many ways. 

For longer than I can remember my grandfather made his living as a painter; painting the rugged landscapes and wildlife of  Ontario, Canada. Bill focused much of his work on the area in, and around Algonquin Park. Born 1922 in Hamburg, Germany he brought his family over to Canada in 1952. After spending some years in the Toronto area he eventually made the move up north and settled in the village of Dwight, just west of Algonquin Park's west gate. For close to 30 years he made a living out of his studio attracting clientele from all over the world, including private collectors and large companies.

An avid outdoors man, living in such an area was the perfect place for his adventurous nature. He spent a lot of time hiking in the neighbourhood and throughout Algonquin Park in search of subjects to paint. He worked hard and was always consistent in his dedication to painting. 

Following his passion for the wilderness he spent endless hours hiking, canoeing, and adventuring, not just in search of new things to paint, but also for the love of nature. He was one the fittest men I have ever known. I think some of the qualities I remember most about him was how nice, decent and friendly he was and how  engaged he was with you while in your company. To this day I still run into people in the neighbourhood who knew and admired him, and have purchased some of his paintings. They always have great things to say about him and that always puts a smile on my face.

It feels great to finally start this project. I value being able to begin to share some of my memories about him and of his work. It's interesting, I have always wanted to move to Dwight as well, and now I get to feel his presence everyday because I now work in the studio he built and painted in for so many years. 

I look forward to seeing this endeavour grow and hope this message finds everyone well!

 Sincerely, Mark Reeder.


If you own any of Bill Kratzer's paintings, I would be very interested in hearing from you. Feel free to contact me through email williamkratzerpaintings@gmail.com