Bill Rickard was raised in Iowa in a family of woodworkers. From his studio/shop in Ames, Iowa, he works in visual arts and contemporary and traditional woodworking. After retiring from Iowa State University as a technician in Aerospace Engineering, he has been exploring green woodworking, such as spoon carving, bowl carving, and shrink boxes. He has shown extensively in Midwest art shows and gives demos and instruction at craft fairs and from his shop.