Bill Curtis painted this scene of light raking across a table in Balthazar during a trip to New York City. Architect William “Bill” Curtis sees beauty in the overlooked and unexpected – sheets flapping in the breeze on a clothesline, a weathered metal bucket in front of a window, light raking across empty tables in a restaurant set for lunch. He paints these scenes and others in meticulously detailed watercolors, a hobby he picked up years ago, studying under acclaimed Houston artist Mark Stewart. Curtis has since won numerous awards from the Watercolor Art Society – Houston, including top honors for his stark depiction of a birch tree in snow.