Bill Ewen grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, as did several generations of his family. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, he became an art director for advertising agencies in Providence and Boston before starting his own business in 1971. Since then, Bill has been a freelance graphic designer, photographer, and maritime artist, with drawings in corporate and private collections across this country and overseas, including the Mystic Seaport Museum, Moran Towing & Transportation Company and Sea-Land Services. His work is included in Bound For Blue Water, a large format book on the best of contemporary American marine art, published in 2003. He has received numerous awards for both his design work and his marine art and in 2002 he was presented with the Samuel Ward Stanton Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Steamship Historical Society of America.

Bill has had a lifelong interest in maritime history. He spent many hours on the Hudson in his own small boats as well as on board the steamboats that once operated on the river. In addition to his many first hand experiences he learned a great deal from his father, a noted Hudson River historian, and by talking with many old time river men.

He has recently written a book for the Images of America series, on Hudson River steamboats.

Since 1995 he has been a lecturer on small cruise ships operating on the east coast of the United States.