William (Bill) McCarter (B.F.A., M.A. The University of Georgia and D.ED. The Pennsylvania State University) was a professor of art at The University of North Texas in Denton, Texas from 1968 through 2000. He is now retired as Professor Emeritus.

In 1982, mutual friends introduced Bill to Peter Fisk, who was building harpsichords in Denton, Texas, and was looking for someone to decorate his instruments. Bill had always been interested in Baroque music, so when Peter asked him to consider decorating soundboards and lids for his harpsichords, he was immediately interested. He created sketches for soundboards and lids, corresponded with Sheridan Germann, of Boston, who gave encouragement and excellent advice, and traveled with Peter to Yale to study early instruments. In addition, there were visits to important harpsichord workshops in the Northeast, as well as visits to the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and the Smithsonian in Washington to study additional historical instruments.

Research was conducted on harpsichord decoration, as well as the artists producing art during the time of major harpsichord production in Flanders, France and Italy. There was a fortunate coincidence during the visit to Yale; the Fogg Art Museum on the Cambridge campus at Harvard had a major exhibition of drawings, etchings and paintings of Jacob Van Ruisdael (Dutch 1628-1682). Van Ruisdael, as well as a number of French and Italian painters, had an important influence on landscape painters of their own time; today their work continues to be of interest to those who study landscape painting. Bill has found these paintings a valuable reference in formulating his approach to traditional harpsichord decoration.

Many prominent art collections include works from landscape painters who have influenced Bill’s work. Some examples can be found on the internet sites listed below.

Jacob Van Ruisdael (Dutch 1628-1682)
http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/bio/a517-1.html
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/ruisdael_jacob_van.html

Claude Lorrain (French C. 1600-1682)
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/claude_lorrain.html
http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/lorrain/
http://www.frick.org/html/pntg6f.htm

Giovanni Piranesi (Italian 1720-1778)
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/piranesi_giovanni_battista.html
http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/bio/a815-1.html