William Henry Wikstrom

June 26, 1952

Deceased Sept. 29, 2025

William [Bill] Wikstrom, Painter, sculptor, musician, gallery owner and social documentarian passed from this life quietly in his sleep. Suffering heart maladies for years, he succumbed; he did have a big heart. From teaching children to paint at the local Boy’s and Girl’s Club to rediscovering Northwest masters and exhibiting their work at his Seattle gallery, Bill Wikstrom was a Northwest original. An autodidact, he mentored first under his father Robert, a noted commercial artist and served apprentice to sculptor Rich Beyer in the eighties. An active participant in Seattle’s art scene, he enjoyed friendships with leading figures and respect by his peers.

His first solo exhibition, at the Kokoro Gallery in 1972 was lauded and his work began entering private collections. He also performed “live” by painting backdrop sets while dancers performed at the Roscoe Louie Gallery around that same time. The home he shared with artist/dancer Sharon Gannon near the U of WA became a cultural laboratory, blending styles, materials and techniques to provide a welcome space for artists of all kinds. He painted with Andy Warhol at the Kennedy Center as part of a national art festival celebrating arts and disability and guest-taught art in the schools for years. He exhibited at COCA several times and was reviewed favorably in the press.

An active member of the Puget Sound Group NW Painters, he attended sketching outings with his fellows and served as officer. His more prominent role as owner/curator of the Arthead Gallery in Seattle’s Greenlake neighborhood exemplified his desire to provide encouragement to aspiring artists, often giving them a first solo exhibition or allowing them to display something unexpected. For nearly 40 years he hosted regular exhibitions and was valued in the art community as an excellent framer.

As musician, he formed several small combos with gifted sidemen and excelled on harmonica, especially the blues. A true collector, he scoured used record and thrift shops to amass an encyclopedic collection and then later broadcast them on his public access channel. Bill was always ahead of the curve musically and shared his passion by filming sets in area nightclubs and returning copies to the bandmembers.

That generous spirit is only part of what he will be remembered for. He was a gentle soul and now rests peacefully in our hearts.