Vivienne Williams

Vivienne Williams was born in 1955 in Swansea, South Wales. From 1973 to 1978 she studied at Reading University finishing with an M.A. in 'The Literary Response to the Visual Arts'. Afterwards, she travelled to Europe and Asia and taught in Australia between 1980-82. Thereafter, she studied and worked at a Buddhist College until 1990. Nowadays, she has her studio near Swansea.

Artist's statement: "It has always been difficult to distil in a few words what has been attempted in another medium. The recurring preoccupations - pots and bowls, flowers and fruit. The constant decisions about what to leave in and what to leave out. The same balancing act. The elements within a painting are often rearranged many times until it ‘works’. The surface texture becomes interesting as more and more paint is applied. It is then scratched and rubbed back to reveal underlying colours. It always surprises me when a battle on the paper finally resolves itself into a calm painting."
"Colour is the most important thing in my work. The surface texture becomes interesting as more paint is applied, energetically repainted and rearranged many times until the elements within the composition are balanced. At any moment during this process there is an opportunity for a painting th emerge."
Her work is strongly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism in it's celebratory use of colour and it's quiet, contemplative qualities.

For more information click HERE

Awards: 1991 3rd prize National Eisteddfod of Wales Mold; 1999 shortlisted for Purchase Art Prize of Univ. of Glamorgan; 2000 highly recommended prize winner Welsh Artist of the Year at St.David's Hall Cardiff.

Commissions: 1993 programme cover for BBC Nat. Orch. of Wales; three paintings for World trade Centre Cardiff; 1995 book cover for Buddhist publishing company, Diamant Verlag Munich/Germany; CD cover for Swansea Bach Choir; 1997 three paintings for Swansea University Library;

International Links:
exhibitions abroad=1981 & 1982 water colour exhibitions in Sydney/Australia;
activities abroad=1979/80 teaching English in Italy; 1981/2 working in an art gallery in Sydney