Sluiter became a versatile artist. He lived and worked in more than one place, in Dordrecht and Rotterdam, but also in villages that were popular with painters such as Scheveningen, Katwijk and Laren. Sluiter was a member of many art societies, including Pictura in Dordrecht,  Arti et Amicitiae in Amsterdam and Pulchri Studio in The Hague.

He was a student at the Rotterdam Academy of Visual Arts from 1891 to 1894 followed by lessons at the Hague Academy of Visual Arts. He became a well-known painter, illustrator of political cartoons, made many posters, worked as a freelancer for advertising jobs and also designed book covers. Well-known are the 38 covers for sheet music that he designed for publisher Scheltens and Giltay between 1920 and 1925; cabaret texts by the poet Clinge Doorenbos.

He lived and worked in Zwijndrecht, Dordrecht and Rotterdam until 1894. From 1894 to 1897 he would reside in Scheveningen and from 1901-1910 in Katwijk. In 1910 he settled in Laren and remained there until 1916 when he moved to The Hague.

Sluiter's work was included in the 1939 exhibition and sale Onze Kunst van Heden (Our Art of Today) at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The subjects of Sluiter's work often came from the coast and the life of fishermen, but he was also a sought-after painter of portraits for the upper class. He captured Hille Butter, a model from Volendam several times.

In 1999 the Dordrechts Museum featured an exhibition of the posters of Willy Sluiter on the occasion of his death 50 years before. From 1 October 2013 to 11 January 2014, the Katwijk Museum exhibited his work.