about the artist
I grew up on Long Island’s North Shore, where early morning walks, books, and drawing gave me a little room to myself in a busy household. I drew wherever I could, sometimes even on the walls of my room. I still find inspiration in much the same way: by walking, looking closely, and giving myself time to notice what I might otherwise pass by.
I earned a degree in art education from Nazareth College and a master’s degree in drawing and printmaking from the University of Iowa, where I worked with Ben Frank Moss. For twenty years, I took evening and weekend classes at the New York Studio School. There was always something more I wanted to learn.
In 1989, I began teaching art in New York schools. Over the next 21 years, I developed a curriculum that brought art history into the classroom and helped students build creative habits of their own. Eventually, I stepped away from teaching to focus on my studio work. My artwork has since been shown in solo exhibitions, and grants and residencies have supported my practice over the years.
My journals are still where much of my work begins. Each day, I use words and images to record small things that catch my attention. Some of those fragments find their way into my artwork. I like leaving room for surprises; sometimes a mark I didn’t intend is the one that shows me where to go next.
Away from the studio, I’m often out walking, cooking with vegetables from my husband’s garden, baking chocolate chip cookies, or visiting my three sons and their families.
Each person is an artist of their own life.
~ beth vendryes williams
My work begins with paying attention. In my journals, I use words and images to record fragments of daily life: a shift in the light, an unexpected color, or a familiar shape I suddenly see differently. Some of those observations find their way into the studio, where I work in graphite, watercolor, or whatever medium feels right for the piece.
I’m drawn to the quiet beauty of things we tend to pass by. Making art gives me a reason to stay with them a little longer. I leave room for surprises as I work. Sometimes a mark I meant to correct becomes the most interesting part of the piece.
I hope my work offers you a moment to slow down and notice what catches your eye and what stays with you. There’s no right way to see a piece. What you bring to it matters, and what you discover is yours.
I believe each of us is an artist of our own life. That can begin with something as simple as looking again at what’s already around us.
Contact me.
Be in touch; ask a question about the art,
a purchase, or to commission work
I’d love to hear from you.