Artist's Statement
Modus vivendi: a way of life.
I really cannot remember a time in my life when I began to draw; filling a page with images is one of my earliest childhood memories. Thirteen years after high school, I returned to school to earn my undergraduate degree and upon graduation began teaching full time, along with being a wife and mother of two teenagers. I had continued to draw and dabble with oils over the years, but had no formal training at all. As a result of my education, my repertoire of techniques and media was expanded, and I drew on what I learned from artists of other times and cultures, but my art remained centered around the people who inhabit my life and the place I inhabit.
The subject matter I choose is closely related to my own personal Modus vivendi. My family, community, and physical location are powerful influences in my life and in my art. The area I live in is so much a part of me and I feel so deeply rooted in this culture and its lore, I have never felt the need to go beyond this small geographically isolated environment for artistic inspiration.
Much of my work tends to be narrative in nature, telling a story, or recalling an event/life I have experienced. I am a very detail oriented person in all aspects of my life, and this is especially true in my art work. . My work is as realistic as I can possibly make it. My color palette tends to lean toward neutralized hues, and I will often subdue a color with its complement to lower the intensity. I love old things, and they often find their way into my compositions, and let’s face it—bright intense color just does not say age!
The images I create are, for the most part, closely related to my way of life--my Modus vivendi. To look at the images is to glimpse into my life. --Brenda Williams
