William Whiteside was raised in Florida, received a Bachelor's degree in Art Education and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting from Florida State University. Following his formal training, he taught at Florida State University, North Texas University and Western North Carolina University.From 1965 till 2012 he was represented in many national, regional and state competitive exhibitions. His paintings are in many prominent art collections, he received many awards and was described in Who's Who in American Art as a traditional, figurative landscape artist. After living in Florida and Texas he made the move to Western North Carolina where his ancestors had lived 100 years eariler and discovered the beauty and peacefulness that would inspire him to paint mountains and "Queen Anne's Lace" which became a trademark for him. Along the way he experienced highlights such as instructing George W. Bush in art at Florida State University and striking up an unlikely friendship with Burt Reynolds during the filming of "Deliverance" which also resulted in several commissioned paintings. In December 2017 William A. Whiteside passed away after living 92 years as a "free range" artist.