At age 5, Lopa segued from mastering his coloring books to bi-weekly art classes at the Nutley Art Academy, where he credits his instructors with educating him about structure, form, and depth perception. Montclair Art Academy followed and Lopa earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from William Patterson College in Wayne, New Jersey.
A turning point for Lopa was a professor in a college art class who advised his students to never lose their artistic desire; however, in reality, most of them would not make it as professional artists. It was then that Bill told himself he would never be one of those people and has never looked back since.
From age 15 on, art has funded Lopa's life. Friends, family and neighbors commissioned work from him and his distinct impressionist style quickly caught on in what can be called a grassroots fashion. These same fans would later take Lopa's works of art and have them placed in galleries, consigned to art dealers and even sold to individuals/consumers up and down the East Coast.
An avid spots fan and die-hard Yankees fan, Lopa chose to concentrate his art in what he loved in a genre he found most challenging and enjoyable: kinetic impressionism. Working in acrylics, Lopa uses a "splatter" technique where the colors are applied with a pallet knife. The use of bold colors and splatter technique captures the image and spirit of an athlete in motion.