Bill won a Hallmark Award in a high school competition. He graduated from the University of Illinois with "honors and distinction," with a bachelor’s degree in Fine and Graphic Arts.

Bill Jonas pursued post graduate work at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he later participated in the prestigious Chicago & Vicinity Show with the painting, "Evolution." After that, he was invited to do a one-man show at the Chicago Public Library, and was then part of a group show for the Chicago Union League.

While in Chicago, he was a gallery artist at the distinguished Ratner Gallery, located in the arts district off of Ohio Street.

Jonas moved to New Orleans in 1988 and the following year joined Wyndy Morehead Fine Arts Gallery, when he began painting full time.

In 1991, after viewing Jonas’ work in a group show, Artists on War, at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), Howard Barnett of Hall-Barnett Gallery asked Jonas to join his gallery. He began there as part of a two-man show, The Naked Show. He stayed with Hall-Barnett until the spring of 1994, when a stroke forced Barnett to close the gallery. During his time at Hall-Barnett he participated and appeared in numerous group shows.

Bill Jonas decided to try it on his own after the Hall-Barnett closing. He continued to paint in his studio and promotes his own works by doing mailings to his client list. These note cards contain images of his paintings.

He has been featured in Southern Accents Magazine, the Guest Informant - New Orleans, Harold’s Catalog, and was chosen as the Collector's Club Artist of the Year, by the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), in 1996. He has also been selected for the Entergy Louisiana Open every year since 1996 at the CAC.

In 1997, Bill Jonas was commissioned by Absolut Vodka for billboard display and retail publications. In 1998, Southern Louisiana University asked him to participate in Louisiana Literature, which is a yearly publication featuring Louisiana writers and artists exclusively.

In 1998 he had a one-man show at Christopher’s Discoveries and in 2000, was asked to do the cover of Gambit Weekly: Summer Restaurant Guide.

Bill was commissioned to do the official poster for the 2003 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and in December he was invited to exhibit at the 2003 Biennale Internazionale Dell' Arte Contemporanea di Firenze (the Florence Biennale) where he was awarded the prestigious Lorenzo De' Medici medal for the painting "Lebensborn".

Jonas has sold hundreds of prints and paintings in the last number of years on his own and today he remains occupied with commissions, which leaves little time to accumulate works for a show. He has a strong following; many patrons have bought several works. Because of the detail and techniques utilized in his paintings, one piece may take several months to complete. His clients are happy to wait.