After studying art and music history for two semesters at the University of Zurich, Waser decided, on the advice of Cuno Amiet, to train as a painter in Paris.

[4][5] From 1948 onwards, Waser regularly exhibited his works in a Zurich gallery, and in 1949 he was awarded a Federal Art Scholarship.

[1] He also began to travel to southern Europe, beginning in Provence in 1948, and spending time painting in Mediterranean countries almost every year.

From 1962 to 1968 Waser was president of the Zurich section of the Society of Swiss Painters, Sculptors and Architects, and in 1982 he was made an honorary member.

Waser himself wrote on this subject: "When the painter is lucky enough to see his mood reflected in nature – be it gloomy, cheerful, dreamy, high-spirited – in such a way that his inner problems find an answer in the outer, visible world, then the spark ignites.

He sought to gain an overall impression of a scenery's elements, those nearby and those far away, in order to grasp the complex whole in his work and make connections visible.