Thursday, April 30, 2009 Constance Williams
www.constancewilliams.net
828 333 3286
constancewilliamsart@gmail.com
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Constance and her art works are all about looking in new ways: creating,
exploring and becoming fully engaged in a stimulating and sensory universe
of light, color, texture fluidity and emotion. The possibilities are endless, and many of her paintings leave one with the dual impression that you could be looking at tiny microorganisms through a microscope OR at a thousand universes out in the cosmos through a telescope. Her encaustic paintings - which are created from pure beeswax, damar tree resin, wax paint colors, washes, stains and added materials - have luminous, atmospheric surfaces. Her clay sculptures represent wide-ranging experimentation and surface techniques. All her art forms confront art appreciators and collectors with visual and tactile effects, and in her gallery, touching is encouraged!
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Some of her clay vessels undulate, while others, metaphorically boat-like,
bring to mind the world's third-oldest river flowing just yards from her studio, and the journeys we take in our lives. Her stylized busts pull the viewer through time and space, some reminiscent of cubism, others of foreign lands. Many works, such as those from her "Nurtured" wall-installation series, bring about feelings regarding the human condition with their curled-up positions. All pieces are hand-built, contemporary in form, with a nod to antiquity in their finishing.
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In her encaustics, Constance creates dozens and often hundreds of layers in which she is adding and subtracting, scraping and filling, melting and fusing, covering and revealing. In these works, people experience the unexpected duality of being confronted by constant light reflection and movement and yet also a sense of calm. Some of the landscapes are so large and inviting that one can feel an impulse to step right into them, as with her current 8 foot-wide by 5 foot-high commission of trees.
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"Encaustic" is derived from the Greek word "Enkaien", and translates to
"burn into". The Greeks added tree resin to wax, thereby raising the melting
point and creating a protected, long-lasting surface. They, like the Egyptians and the Romans who followed, used this technique on any firm substrate, including stone. When evidence such as aristocratic portraiture was discovered in tombs in the 19th century, the world was reintroduced to encaustics, and Jaspar Johns popularized the medium in the mid-twentieth century. Over time, safer methods of working with these materials have allowed modern artists to explore and participate. Constance enjoys the unique intensity of true encaustic work - she heats her pigmented wax medium on hot palettes, electric skillets, woks and pancake griddles and then applies them to her surfaces, which are most often wood. She fuses each layer with a propane blow-torch, and at times uses a heat gun, tacking iron or any tool one can heat up to create different effects. This essential fusing process binds each layer to its eventual durable, archival whole. Working with everything from brushes to heated trowels to clay carving tools, when Constance is working on a painting she is in constant motion, and one can observe radical changes in a painting-in-progress from one day to the next.
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Originally from Somerset, England, Constance majored in advanced art, and
has had a number of successful companies which always required that her creative skill sets be put to good use, most notably as co-owner of PDG, as well as CEO and owner of the award-winning, international "Constance Williams Collection", which raised the bar in the greetings industry and set new standards for collaborative efforts between businesses and social programs. Settling in the Asheville area permanently in 2004 was the natural result of spending so much time in Western North Carolina for over 20 years. A trained painter equally versed in representation and abstraction, she began encaustic painting in April of 2007. April of 2009 marked the 1-year anniversary of Constance Williams Fine Art Studio & Gallery at CURVE, where her workspace is surrounded by her stimulating encaustics, as well as by artists represented in her gallery: Vicki Brown, watercolor; Cynthia Wynn, industrial art furniture; Mystery Masiello, crystal jewelry; Susan Musialowski, earth form pottery and sculpture; Patty Bilbro, pottery; and Greg Vineyard, meditation/keepsake bowls.
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With both her creative and business backgrounds in high-gear, Constance has been an advocate of and avid spokesperson for the River Arts District, and
has spent countless volunteer hours on behalf of the organization to further the cause of increased tourist and consumer traffic, art discovery and education and outreach through her vigorous promotion of both individual members and the entire District. This season in particular she helped coordinate and gain approval from the City Council for a permanent District signage plan, and worked tirelessly as the ad representative for the 2009 Studio Stroll brochure. She is also the President-elect for 2010.
Constance's creations are in homes and businesses around the world, and has been seen in print and on-line in a multitude of publications, such as North Carolina Home, Verve and American Style. Look for her work on the cover of the June 2009 edition of The Laurel of Asheville.
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Visit Constance at her studio, as there's always new work in progress. In
addition to her daily hours, she will also be participating in the River
Arts District's hugely popular Studio Stroll the second weekends of June and
November; download a guide and map at www.riverdistrictartists.com.
www.constancewilliams.net
828 333 3286
constancewilliamsart@gmail.com
Reader Comments (2)
Long time no see Constance. Was going through some artists and found you. Thought I'd stop in and say hello. Looks like all is well. Awesome art pieces. Congrats on all.............Later girl, Deb
A couple of years ago we stopped by your studio. I was very impressed with your encaustic paintings as I have been playing around with them for a short time. I am an art major with more experience in painting with oils and arcylics. You told me at that time that you prefered to order your encaustics from another company besides R & F. I would like to order some as I much prefer more translucents. Would you please send me the name of the company?
I also would like to take a class from you if you teach classes. We spend the summers in Maggie Valley so I could come over anytime between May and September.
Thank you for your time to answer.....
Judy Smathers