I came to painting later in life. After a career in architecture and education (teaching design and drawing), I retired with the goal of traveling and learning to paint, expecting this combination to provide continued stimulation throughout the remainder of my life. Through architecture I was inspired by the beautiful watercolor renderings of old, and plein air painting was recommended to me as the best way to learn, thus my painting journey began there. Not long after, I serendipitously found my way onto the plein air circuit, with my first years on the circuit spent learning to paint in the challenging medium of watercolor. The circuit provided the very enjoyable challenge of constantly painting/experimenting with new subjects in new locations, under pressure and time constraints. I met and learned from wonderful peers and patrons, put in many brush miles, and I was fortunate to find success along the way.
I continue to experiment in some way with each painting. Early paintings were typically inspired by a discovered composition, lighting condition or subject. While continuing to paint extensively on the plein air circuit, the last few years have also been spent exploring the idea of painting. As a result, I have done extensive reading about art history as well as about various artists’ lives, trying to understand why they painted, what ideas were behind their paintings, and why others are moved by their work. In addition, I regularly inquire why my peers paint, trying to discover the same from them.
I have also stepped back and surveyed my own paintings. What I discovered is that whatever I choose to paint must feel “authentic” to me. In my earliest work I was enamored with nature, feeling that it provided a freedom that the constraints of architecture had not provided. Eventually, however, I became quite intrigued with the relationship between the man-made and natural worlds, often complimenting organic shapes and man-made forms. As I search for beauty and truth in the world around me, I enjoy finding this in the everyday scenes around us. In addition, the passage of time has become a common theme in my work, often in quite different ways.
I do not know where my work will go from here, but I do know that I will continue to be curious and experiment. As I continue to work en plein air, I am also exploring larger watercolor paintings that are begun in the field, from life, but completed in the studio, painting the regional landscape around my home (Oklahoma/Texas). I am also experimenting with oil painting as a compliment to watercolor. We shall see where that goes! What a privilege it is to be able to dream, enjoy and explore!
About the EPAT Ranch Fellowship...
After establishing myself via juried and/or invitational plein air events and juried exhibitions, primarily in the eastern United States, my current focus is on the western experience, particularly through larger (half sheet and full sheet) watercolor paintings. I seek authentic experiences of the contemporary western landscape, particularly those with historic architectural components, from which I can explore the stories embedded in these settings. I see these paintings as opportunities to draw attention to a place, a way to stimulate discussion about a place or the way that it is communicated, and a way to document the current condition that I experience. Having spent much of my career in the academic environment, I am accustomed to (and enjoy) interacting with and learning from others. I find this interaction, and learning in general, highly stimulating. Often my interactions with others leads to further understanding of my painting subjects, the identification of further painting opportunities or the stimulus to new ideas and/or learning, and I frequently seek out these experiences. My plein air event experiences have honed my skill at arriving in a new place, exploring it to get a feel for its uniqueness, and then turning those observations into paintings. By the end of the intense event week I often feel that I am really just beginning to understand how to represent that place or do it justice and typically find myself wanting to spend more time immersed in the experience. The residency opportunity would be a delightful opportunity to truly immerse myself in a place, understand it better, and have time to capture that experience to a much greater degree than I am accustomed to.
I view the EN PLEIN AIR TEXAS Artist in Residence program to be a particularly well-suited opportunity for me to explore these areas of personal interest while also developing a body of work that would be valued by both the San Angelo arts and cultural communities.
- Jeff Williams
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