James Williams

“Jim is masterful at challenging his viewers.  With sharp humor and penetrating depth, Jim’s work possesses a remarkable authenticity and quality, which awakens questions in me.  Every piece offers a rich treasure of insight.”  – Stuart M.

I want to show what the world does not want to see.  Although I use various media: oil pastels, pen and ink, or colored pencil, I usually favor soft pastels because of their dense, brilliant colors.  I feel they most clearly elicit the strength of the experience—the emotions, situations, and psychological states—that I am determined to capture.

When I start a painting, I begin with the impression of a person, emotion, or event, whether internal or external, remembered or actually before me.  The process of evoking it and putting it down on paper involves the metamorphosis from photographic reality to shapes dictated by my intuitive perception of my model.  The selection of color follows, fueled by the feelings evoked, the intensity of perception.  Drama unfolds in the high voltage generated by the juxtaposition of near-complementary colors, as well as by lights and darks.

My goal: fidelity to my vision.