Kelly S. Williams EXPO
CHICAGO ‘23
Known for large-scale tondos, triangles, and diamonds, Williams recently has focused on significantly smaller pieces. The six-inch diameter panels compliment her installation-scale geometric shapes, providing an opportunity to explore more refined mark-making. Williams’ experimentation is organic and fresh, pushing experimental techniques and intuitive responses into new practices in her studio.
Pink Belly, acrylic, oil and flashe on panel, 6.75”, 2022
Charybdis, acrylic, oil and flashe on panel, 6.75”, 2022
Kaleidoscopic, multidimensional compositions are influenced by a long relationship with fabric and quilting.
Reflecting on “women’s work” and histories of the collecting, cultivating, and curating, Williams creates tiered patterned paintings that deceive and surprise.
The Golden Hour of Fall, acrylic, oil and flashe on panel, 22.5x23.5”, 2022
The Golden Hour of Fall, acrylic, oil and flashe on panel, 32x33”, 2022
Williams says, “I’ve mostly been experimenting with tools to vary the mark-making in the oil paint layer process of the paintings. Some of them are traditionally made by letting the oil dry and the most recent ones were made with the oil paint very wet. I think the newer ones show the physicality of making them in a more light-hearted and whimsical way of moving. It’s a little like dancing to actually make them now.”
Mesh and Lace, but With Ribbons, acrylic, oil and flashe on panel, 47.5”, 2022
The Wheel of Fortune, acrylic, oil and flashe on panel, 22.5x23.5”, 2022
Intrigued by the history of the curiosity cabinet, and influenced by a long relationship with fabric and quilting, Williams probes the human penchant for the preservation and cultivation of natural wonders. In particular, she is interested in how the process of collecting and composing objects interacts with horticulture as well as astronomy. She is known for lush, prismatic paintings on round birch panels with an array of tiered patterns and compositions.
Crystal Collector, acrylic, oil and flashe on panel, 51x51”, 2022
The Gilded Age, acrylic, oil and flashe on panel, 6.75”, 2022
Kelly S. Williams received her BA in Studio Art from Vassar College and her MFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. She has participated in residency programs nationally and internationally, such as the Yale Summer School for Art and Music and the Terra Foundation in Giverny, France, and has been awarded grants and awards including the WK Rose Fellowship in 2002 and the Carrell Artist Award in 2010. Her work hangs at Thompson Hotel, Nashville; nexAir Headquarters, Memphis; and the Nashville Courthouse among other collections.