Will Frates was born in Hayward, California in 1896. He studied with William Otto Emerson. He was an active Bay Area artist from the 1920's until his passing in 1969. He was quite versitle, working in oil, watercolor and pastels.

His subjects were mostly Bay Area and Mother Lode landscapes, but he painted scenes of other parts of America, including the coast of Maine.

He was active in numerous art associations, especially in Alameda County, and exhibited throughout the Bay Area.

His paintings hang in the Hayward Public Library, the State Museum Resource Center, and the Salinas City Hall. Will Frates died at the age of 73 in Myrtle Creek, Oregon while on a painting excursion to the Northwest. Will maintained a Hayward gallery (pictured below) with friend and fellow artist, Elmer Stanhope.