As curator of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance’s art collection, Pajaud single-handedly amassed a collection of African American artists that was considered by many as one of the most of its kind. The two hundred-fifty piece collection included works by internationally renowned artists such as Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White and Pajaud himself.

A nationally respected artist in his own right, Pajaud cites a fateful experience as a young boy inspired his interest in drawing. He reports being hospitalized due to an almost fatal reaction to a mosquito bite. The unintentional result of this incident placed him on the trajectory to becoming an artist—in a chance meeting, Pajaud encountered a hospital roommate, an elderly man, who was a cartoonist. The indelible impression that he left on the artist inspired Pajaud to begin drawing and eventually develop a serious interest in becoming a professional artist.

Pajaud’s formative development in art took place Xavier University of Louisiana under the direction of Numa Rousseve, a beloved instructor at Xavier. He graduated from XULA with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and minor in Romance languages. He and was fluent in both French and Spanish. After his graduation, Pajaud married and settled in Los Angeles, California, before pursuing another degree in advertising art at Chouinard Art Institute on a Chrysler Corporation scholarship. He was the first African American to be admitted to the institute's day school and complete a degree, but not without discrimination and difficulty. He also embarked upon a career at Golden State Mutual Life Insurance, where he began designing the company’s advertisements and producing and distributing Golden State’s publications. Pajaud rose to Vice President of Public Relations and Advertising while amassing a historically significant body of art for Golden State’s collection before he retired in 1987.

Pajaud then began to focus on his own work as an artist. He was fluent in several different mediums including drawing, prints, oils, and watercolors. Pajaud’s body of work is informed by his experiences African American and southern traditions as well as hardships. Images of Black female figures are prominent in his work; Pajaud their historical importance from slavery to present times. Pajaud’s father, William Eitenne Sr, was a jazz musician in New Orleans. After his death in 1960, Pajaud began incorporating themes that included traditional New Orleans jazz funerals. Pajaud achieved prominence in his own career—he was a member of various art institutions -- the Society of Graphic Designers, the Los Angeles County Art Association, and the National Watercolor Society, of which he served as President from 1974 to 1975. His works were featured in many group and solo exhibitions throughout the United States.

Pajaud was the father of five children. At the time of his death, Bill’s wife June remarked that near the end of his life Bill “was doing drawings on everything — paper towels, newspapers, magazines,” June Pajaud said. “When the bills came in, if I didn’t grab them fast enough he would draw on the envelopes.