artist's statement

"Inspiration for my work is both selective and completely random. I’m certain that influences must come, to a certain degree, from things that enliven and excite me - imperfections, flaws, rust, asymmetry, the texture of concrete, peeling paint from something old, the principles of wabi-sabi - and artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Cy Twombly, Eva Hesse, Hans Josephsohn and Louise Nevelson. Despite all that stimulus, I find that approaching a blank canvas and simply beginning with no preconceived notions of the end result provides greater gratification. I endeavor to find balance within the work, light vs dark, expressionism vs minimalism, and in that process must instinctively recognize when it feels complete. Using varied elements in my work - acrylics, oils, sand and pure pigments - and applying these to different substrates - canvas, metal, Plexiglas, wood and clay, I eliminate any self-imposed constraints in the creative process. Not confining myself to one medium enables me to experiment, explore and evolve- invariably refining my craft. Through primarily non-representational imagery, the observer is left with only abstract emotions and instinctual responses towards the painting - feelings and memories are free to manifest based on actual life experiences. If I am able to engage the observer, make a connection which couldn’t be conveyed verbally and ultimately elicit a visceral reaction - my work is done."  - michelle y williams

michelle y williams  is a houston based creator, explorer, humanitarian, and artist. the imagination of her work is evoked through multiple channels, including canvas, wood, metal, plexiglas & clay. yet, it is an absence of negativity and cynicism, which sustain the heart of her creations: a mélange of interwoven spirit and gratitude.

inside her studio is where she can always be found, cloistered in, as if a closet in the wall of the world she scarcely leaves, unassuming of her successes, ensconced in her appetite to create, to expose herself only in her art, which can be displayed as a proxy, as our closest impersonator of her innermost self.

michelle's privacy within her studio walls should not mark reclusion, but illuminate the independence with which she works, conquering the materials at her disposal as opposed to the materials of the everyday that fail to incite change, to bring about a bettering in people.

much of michelle's methods gain influence from the worldview wabi-sabi, a japanese aesthetic that embraces the transient self. that is to say, rather than disregard one's weaknesses, or to think of such imperfections from a state of confrontation, michelle, as put forth in her work, seeks to embody these reputed flaws.

in accepting the process of life, of its misshapen ways and understated moments, one can maintain a fuller sense of self, and approach once challenging faults with gratification, with thankfulness. in a stain, we find understanding; in a dent, our ability to heal; in a blemish, an unchained beauty. michelle's art is a diligent offering of this ideal, of the concerted outlook we must bring unto others, and into our own lives.