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Vivienne Williams Contemplating Colour / Ystyried Lliw

by Celf Gallery | Cardiff
Date of event: 12/10/24 - 10/11/24
Artist: Vivienne Williams

Vivienne is a contemporary British artist known for her evocative still life paintings.  The objects in her paintings are mostly flowers, fruit, and vessels, all appearing carefully and meticulously arranged. The space around her objects are as important as the objects themselves, with her subjects are often depicted on tables, sometimes with views from windows or in open landscapes. Despite a flattened perspective, with simple forms, there is always a sense of depth and context to her arrangements. Painting from her imagination, there is an emotional significance invested in the objects she returns to repeatedly.

As the rich texture of her work evolves, after layers of scratching, sanding and staining (in which ordinary paper takes on the feel and weight of old leather), a balance and quietness settle as the painting itself resolves. One painting leads to the next with a constantly evolving colour palette. Her meticulous approach results in calm compositions that invites the viewers to appreciate the beauty in everyday objects.

Vivienne has been quietly building a reputation as a significant artist for well over twenty years with regular solo exhibitions.  Her work can be found in numerous private collections worldwide and is also in the collection of the Contemporary Art Society for Wales.

‘In this new exhibition at Celf Gallery, I hope people see the colours, feel the balance and experience the calm’. 

'Painting is a balancing act'.  

'The familiar subject matter of still life paintings - fruit, flowers, jugs and bowls have always, for me, been vehicles for colour. These forms, with their flattened perspective - and the texture, with many layers of paint and intensely worked surfaces are equally important'.

'In this new exhibition at Celf Gallery, I hope people see the colours, feel the balance and experience the calm'. 

Vivienne Williams