MYFANWY WILLIAMS South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
I grew up in Zambia, studied Classics and Education at St. Mary’s University in London, and later graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a B.A. Honours in Fine Art. As teacher and artist, my interests have often overlapped. I have exhibited in many English and European cities, as can be seen in my CV on this website. My Sheffield studio is at Exchange Place, which is part of Yorkshire Art
My work is concerned with land and seascapes, and addresses the human condition, even though my paintings are rarely figurative. My present series deals with issues that affect us all, such as climate change, migration and travel. The sea often features in my paintings, because, as a child, I spent many months travelling by sea. I like to capture the movement of the waves against the background of the land. The interaction between the physical landscape and mankind is explored as a journey in my work: images that look down at the earth from above are compelling and enlightening. Colourful expressionism is an important part of my art. I love to use the saturated colours of acrylic and oil, and work with rags to add texture to the paintings. I often work on wooden panels and add layers of marks and colour by working against the grain of the wood. Layers are continually applied and then worked away, as I respond to music, texts and photographs. As the paintings develop intuitively, so representation gives way to abstraction. The use of mixed media, such as the incorporation of maps, plays an important role in my projects. I like to work in series which range in size from large canvases to small images on watercolour paper. Palimpsest often features in my paintings: the present is confronted by the past my Coloured by the Past series deals with memory and antiquity, and how everything is shaped by history. My visits to archaeological sites across Europe have fascinated me, with their decaying, ancient artefacts. The gratuitous destruction of iconic buildings and sculptures from early civilisations has had a profound influence on me. The classical world produced wonderful artefacts, beautifully coloured by natural minerals and plants, but this colour has been eroded by time. I like to add the colour to my paintings which illustrate the once beautiful details, linking them to the present day.
