‘Bridge’ is an outstanding example of Bill Colemans work. One of his favourite subjects was buildings set “Venetian-like” amidst canals and bridges with an atmosphere of romantic stillness and mystery. In his artwork Bill strove to have an element of the real and the abstract, light and dark, harmony and discord.

Bill Coleman was born in Ballarat in Victoria. He started painting as a child and was encouraged by his grandfather who was the Curator of the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery. Coleman went on to study commercial art at Brighton Technical College under the artist Allan Thomas Bernaldo.
From 1940-1974, Coleman worked as a cartographer and photographic artist. While working as an apprentice, Coleman studied part-time at Melbourne Technical College (now RMIT) from 1940-47 under Murray Griffin and Victor Greenhalgh. He later spent weekends at the George Bell School from 1948 to 1954, making small figurative prints as part of a group using Bell’s improved printing press.
In 1945 Coleman was involved in his first group exhibition at the Velasquez Gallery and in 1946 he became a member of the Victorian Artists’ Society and continued to exhibit with them annually. His first major art exhibition was held in 1969 at 39 Steps Gallery at Little Collins Street in Melbourne. This was followed by his first solo exhibition in 1972 at the Parthenon Galleries in Melbourne. In 1973 he exhibited interstate at the Francois Gallery in Sydney. In 1973 he won the Cheltenham Art Group Award.  In 1976 he showed work at the international exhibition De’auville in Paris and Berlin.
During his career, Bill Coleman won several awards, including: the ACI Award at the Victorian Artist’s Society Winter Exhibition; a Diploma for the Best Composition, Twenty-eight Grand Prix International, France; 1977 applied Chemicals Pty Ltd Art Prize at Victorian Artists’ Society winter Exhibition; 1978 first group exhibition with the Five Plus Group, Victorian Artists’ Society.
In 1986 the Bendigo Art Gallery held a Retrospective Exhibition of his art, which then toured to the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery and the Sale Regional Arts Centre. In the same year he also held a joint exhibition with George Bell at Allyn Fisher Fine Arts in Bendigo. The following year, the Holland Fine Art Gallery in Sydney held an exhibition of his work entitled “A Lifetime of Works 1949-1987”; and in 1989 a Bill Coleman Retrospective was held at the Gryphon Gallery at the Melbourne University.
Bill Coleman’s work is represented at the National Gallery of Australia; Art Gallery of NSW; Bendigo Art Gallery; Ballarat Fine Art Gallery; Albury Regional Art Centre, NSW; Davenport Gallery & Arts Centre, Tasmania; Mildura Arts Centre, Victoria; Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Sydney; State Library of Victoria; University of Melbourne Art Collection; Vancouver Arts Centre Gallery, Albany, WA; Warrnambool Art Gallery, Victoria and numerous municipal collections.