Biography
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Theresa Williams is a contemporary landscape artist living in Carstairs, Alberta. Known for her plein air painting, steering wheel easel, limited color palette and bold, expressive mark-making, Theresa has spent decades driving through rural Alberta and BC. Her work often includes that view through the windshield; foregrounds take a back seat to the middle and far away grounds and weather elements are common. Theresa’s artwork hangs in private collections both nationally and internationally, as well as several permanent public collections including the BMO Centre in Calgary, and has been published in newspapers and magazines and featured in a book of local Alberta history. Theresa’s paintings have shown in many juried group exhibitions as well as solo shows and have won multiple awards. In 2023 and 2024 she successfully applied for and participated in Glacier Plein Air, a juried International Plein Air Event held annually in Montana. Theresa is currently represented by Bluerock Gallery in Diamond Valley, Leighton Art Centre near Calgary, and seasonally at Gust Gallery in Waterton. |
Artist Statement
“I am a landscape painter working in both oil and acrylic. I paint on location in all kinds of weather, and these sketches along with frequent photography trips, provide inspiration and ideas for my larger studio pieces.
I’ve always loved travelling by car and my journeys through vast rural expanses influence my perspective, often reflected in the expansive middle and backgrounds of my work, reminiscent of views framed by a car’s windshield. I usually start my paintings from an intentional idea or feeling and work out a deliberate design. However, once I start applying paint, I let the process dictate the direction my mark-making takes and the colours I apply. Most pieces are completed within two to three sessions or as soon as I feel I have no significant corrections left to make. I enjoy leaving some areas quite loose and even unfinished as I find this helps viewers find their way into the painting while adding their own meaning and complexities. For me this is where the real excitement of painting happens.
Lately, I’ve been reconnecting with my Indigenous community, which has made me think about my family history and generational privileges. These recollections are taking me back to landscapes both intimately familiar yet also starkly changed by time and the impacts of ‘progress’. Undercurrents of personal discovery and environmental concerns weave throughout my paintings and echo in the beautiful loneliness I love to paint.”
– Theresa Williams
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© Theresa Williams “Below the Bridge”
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© Theresa Williams “Sentinel”
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© Theresa Williams “Mountain Study”