BETHANY HARPER WILLIAMS

June 10 – July 5

Gallery at the Grand

1 Chase Hill Rd. Kennebunk, Maine 04043

Last year, artist Bethany Harper Williams began calling New York City her second home. Of course, her first love is the Maine beaches and waters near and around her home in Biddeford Pool. Yet we were thrilled to get a small peek at the work that NYC has inspired.

“This show, I’ve added some paintings inspired by my new ‘city life’ in New York City,” shares Williams. “I take the same idea of capturing a moment, abstracting the landscape, which is now buildings instead of beaches. Then I focus on the figure’s mood without the details of representation. More subdued tones replace the colors of the beach. Fun to find textures and patterns on the city streets and even Central Park.”

With her two pieces featuring not only people but puppies in the city streets, we get an authentic feel for how her style transcends more than just the ocean and its coastline.

“When I create a single figure with lots of space, it focuses on the figure, the mood, and the relationship between them,” explains Williams. “It creates breathing space and invites the viewer to explore the painting discovering a pattern or an interesting layer or mark.” 

Williams has also started using little windows to glimpse something more happening in a piece than just the obvious.

“I have started bringing in larger, more defined patches of color. By abstracting the background into blocks of color that create movement and balance,” she says. “Then sometimes I leave a window into a painting, creating a mood that allows the viewer to think beyond.” 

To see Bethany Harper Williams Show in person, visit the Gallery at the Grand at 1 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk from June 10 to July 5. The doors to the gallery open every day at 10 am. FMI call 207-967-0049 or www.maine-art.com/shows.

Click to see the show virtually.

Click to read more about Bethany Harper Williams.