Bill Willis is well known for abstract paintings and works on paper that are inspired by the natural world and influenced by Eastern philosophy and religion. His work—recognized with awards and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Vermont Studio Center, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, and many others— has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Phillips Collection and the Washington Project for the Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and it has been included in group exhibitions at numerous museums and galleries. His work is included in the permanent collections of important public, private, and corporate collections.