William Joseph Eastman was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888. He attended the Cleveland Institute of Art, graduated in 1912, and continued on to the Art Students League in New York. He returned to the Cleveland Institute of Art and became an instructor and remained so until his death in 1950. His work can be described as decorative, fairytale-like landscapes that have strong realism and design elements. He also uses gold, silver, black and white as true colors for a metallic, decorative effect. Periodically throughout the 1920s and 30s, he traveled throughout Europe painting, and studied at the Academie Julien and also exhibited in the Salon d’Automne in Paris. Much of his work was exhibited all over Ohio, Quebec, and later on Colorado when he ventured out west, which became a prominent source of inspiration for his remaining years.