A landscape painter known for his loose, Impressionist style, Will Vawter was raised in Greenfield, Indiana, and began his career as an illustrator. His first assignments were for James Whitcomb Riley, the successful poet who was also a resident of Greenfield.

Vawter and his wife of two years moved to Brown County, Indiana, in 1908, and for the next fifteen years he worked on magazine illustration assignments. In 1923, he divorced and moved into a small apartment in downtown Nashville, where he became more involved in oil painting.

In 1925, he exhibited at the first Hoosier Salon exhibition and won the prize for Best Winter Scene. He also exhibited with the Brown County Art Gallery Association.