Williams, an Oklahoma native, has been a professional artist for more than forty years. Twenty four of those years were spent as Art Director of the University of Oklahoma Publications Office, where he served as illustrator, graphic designer and photographer. While there, he produced thousands of publications which made an impact through visual design.
Now retired, Williams devotes full time to painting and photography. He has become a devotee of plein-air painting and has traveled the world in search of exotic and romantic places to paint and photograph. His latest project is a series of eight photographic coffee table books on the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.
Of his art, Williams says “I try to record places and moments that touch my soul. Before brush touches paper or canvas, I consider the mood and the feeling of the subject which has inspired me. I paint and photograph images that have drawn me toward connections of the past, present and between different cultures from around the world.”
Williams has a BFA degree from the University of Tulsa. He has studied painting with Oklahoma’s Charles Banks Wilson and internationally known watercolor artist Milford Zornes of California. He credits Zornes for inspiring him with the advice that to be the best fine artist you can be, it is important to have a design that conveys the message and it is important that every work of art conveys a feeling.
Williams says he paints and photographs images with a conscious regard for the principles of design and that he feels a sense of duty to portray a positive statement in a traditional style.
His work has recently been on display in the Gallery at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
PAS Office and Gallery hours in the Depot are 8:00 am to 3:00 pm Tuesday through Friday and from 1:00 to 5:00 on Sunday. For additional information on Performing Arts Studio programs, phone 405-307-9320. For additional information on Bill Williams, visit http://www.bwilliamsart.net/.
Gallery exhibitions in the Performing Arts Studio are made possible in part by grants from the Norman Arts Council, the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.