George William Sotter 1879-1953

A Pennsylvania native, George Sotter was born in Pittsburgh in 1879. He grew up painting the rivers and mills of his home city, though he matured into a stained glass artist. Around 1901, Sotter joined the stained glass studio of Horace Rudy in Pittsburgh, where he worked for several years. At that point, Rudy granted Sotter a leave of absence from the studio in order that Sotter enroll at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. At the Academy, Sotter studied with Edward Redfield, Thomas Anshutz, and Henry Keller. 

In 1919, Sotter settled in Bucks County in a converted 19th century barn, which became his lifelong home and studio. Bucks County was truly Sotter's home and he is often associated with the New Hope School of American Impressionism. He identified deeply with the landscape; the farms and foliage and light provided him with a constant source of inspiration for the duration of his career.