Over the last year, so many spent time doing, seeing, creating, and finding what makes us happy. This was especially true for artist Bethany Harper Williams.
“This past year affected all of us in so many different ways. We were forced to spend more time isolated from family and friends. It made me realize how fortunate I am to have something to do that I am so passionate about,” explains Williams. “I had endless time to focus on my painting. It gave me time to explore and look at things from new perspectives.”
At times, materials and canvasses were hard to come by, so Williams sometimes took old paintings and brought new life to them, creating new works with incredible layers of textures and colors below.
“Many of these paintings with large patches of color are abstracts, but with a glimpse of reality,” she tells. “I enjoyed playing with the contrast of abstract and more representative.
For Williams, the large shapes evoke the feel and mood of the landscape, be it beach or water or sky, without being representational. Then one patch reveals a more representational view, an unexpected view, like Take Me to the Beach.
“While playing with patterns – polka dots, lines, circles… things became playful and whimsical. I was not focussed on representing the reality,” Williams shares. ‘Instead, they create a joyful mood that keeps the viewer involved, looking, questioning.”
This was also a year of staying at home for Bethany.
“I couldn’t get to Maine as often as I usually would. So, I couldn’t get my fill of beach and ocean. I missed the colors and the sounds, but I was able to escape there in my paintings,” says Williams. “It made me appreciate how I need, truly need, this escape to the ocean.”
It also made her realize how art can be an escape for others. By taking people to special places and then giving them the ability to bring these same places back into their homes.
“I’m so appreciative and humbled that my work can provide that joy to others.”
ABOUT THE 2021 SHOW
Starting on Saturday, July 24, at 10 AM, the gallery at 10 Chase Hill welcomes the public to view and purchase these stunning celebrations of color and summer. Both Bethany Harper Williams and David Witbeck will be at Shows on Saturday evening from 5 – 7 PM. They each are excited to share their process, inspiration, and new works. The Artist Reception is a free event.
Again, the show is running until Thursday, August 12th. This gallery is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. Plan to stop into our other three locations. The Gallery at 14 Western Ave, The Grand Hotel Gallery at 1 Chase Hill, and Studios at 5 Chase Hill. All are open during the Artist Reception and every day this summer. Open daily at 10 am. Check the website for summer hours. FMI www.maine-art.com
To see the show in its entirety, including the 360-degree virtual tour, click here.
Preview opens Wednesday, July 21. Virtual Tour available on the evening of Friday, July 23.
To see our complete collection of Bethany’s works, click below
Bethany Harper Williams – Artist Page