One of four children of Geraldine Herren and the late Bud Herren, Bill received his education at Baxter. He, his wife, Ben, and their son, Dan, live on Bill’s great-grandfather’s farm in Silver Point. Bill showed an interest in art at a very early age, and as incredible as it might sound, he’s never had the first art lesson. Right out of high school, Bill began a career in the tool and die field, but it didn’t take too many years to decide working for somebody else really wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life. By that time, he had married and started a family. He knew using his artistic talents was how he would really like to make his living, but how to get started was not going to be easy. So in the year 1997, he came up with a plan. Bill thought possibly a way to start would be to contact area churches and ask if having a religious mural painting would be of interest. He began by making a list of approximately 300 churches and their phone numbers. One by one he called the numbers on his list, and eventually, did get a couple of jobs to do. His very first job for a church was one he donated the work for, and that was at Herren’s Chapel in Silver Point. The mural he did there he described as Noah’s Ark after the flood. In time, word began to get around about this talented artist who paints lifelike scenes on buildings and walls.

The first couple of winters after Bill began painting for a living were really tough. He told me that during those early years he came to understand completely what the phrase "starving artist" means. And in order to survive, he did have to return to the tool and die job a couple of times before he really got on his feet with his art work. By that time, the Herren’s son, Dan, was around two years old. Prior to Dan becoming old enough to attend school, both Bill and wife, Ben, agreed they did not want to leave their son in day care. It was at that age that Dan began to accompany his father on painting jobs, and he’s been right by his father’s side ever since, except when school is in session. Dan is 10 years old now and does quite a bit of the work too. He sat in for the interview I did and would often comment about some of the jobs they’ve done in the past. Dan impressed me as being an extremely well behaved and polite young man who seems quite happy to be following in his father’s artistic footsteps.

Bill has put together a book of photographs he shows to prospective customers. Some of the work he has done can be seen at the Putnam County fairgrounds, the corner building near the depot in Cookeville, a laundry mat in McMinnville, the Frenchmen’s Market on Burgess Falls Road in Cookeville, and several other buildings in places like Crossville and Smithville. He will be returning in the near future to the Putnam County fairgrounds for an additional large building that will take quite a bit of time to complete. He’s even left his mark on a building in Queens, New York while on a visit there.

He told me he "feels lucky to have this kind of job." He’s able to continue to care for Dan by dropping him off at school each morning and leaving a job he has when it’s time to pick him up in the afternoon. If the job isn’t too far away, he and Dan sometimes return after school is out to work a few addition hours. According to Bill, in this type of work "you’re limited only by your imagination." A close inspection of the mural he’s doing, or any other of the projects he’s completed, demonstrates the fact that he is blessed with natural talent and his imagination is hardly ever idle.

I asked Bill if the many interruptions he has from curious people passing by causes problems, to which he was quick to reply that it never bothered him. In fact, he always welcomes anyone who wants to stop by and talk. Meeting new people and taking a few minutes to talk is another thing he says that makes his job so pleasant. And if there’s any doubt about that, just stop by and see for yourself. I guarantee the first thing you’ll notice is not just a warm and welcoming smile on Bill’s face, but a smile that’s real and genuine. It obvious that using his natural talent is exactly what he was intended to do. Bill welcomes inquires about his work and can be reached in Silver Point at 931/858-4153.