Emyr Williams

All these works are made in 2024 with acrylic ink on paper 76 x 56cm

These watercolours are in 3 sets: large, medium and small (the latter 2 sets were made in the hills of Liguria, Italy during the summer 2023).

Many of these works feature emphatic uses of line and colour density. I am looking to open up space through contrast and shifts of hue and temperature. The four sides of a rectangle are powerful forces to deal with, plus the role of corners, which can be considered as either a meeting of two lines or a change of direction. Each of these definitions offers an alternating way to engage with space in these areas, and the consequences for the rest of the work as a result.

Made with Indian Ink painted into a matte acrylic canvas colour ground on canvas. The ground allows the ink to stain in evenly and not be disrupted by the weave. There are pragmatic marks making tone and contrast. The space unfolds in surprising ways as they take shape. I think of them as fresco paintings and can be reworked in the same way - laying in a new base ground and re-staining back into it. I have made them on paper and on various sizes: from 30cm high to nearly 3m high. I can see them working as murals, also.

Large scale brush drawings using Indian Ink Shellac on 400gsm paper.

These works were exhibited at The Cut Gallery Halesworth, Jan-Feb 2016

Paintings between 2m and 2.7m wide. 

Paintings from a residency in Marseille, France over 3 months.

Works which evolved out of collage and in response to the large spaces of APT gallery, London in which they were shown. Taped areas working against irregular ones - a more abrupt colour palette emerged with more acidity in the colour. Some works are very big: 10ft high for example. The thin zips of colour formed accents against the floods and areas and were applied with nozzles in one run - exhilarating to get to the end of the line each time and see the fresh line of colour holding its pace throughout.

Linear elements came to the fore in these works with colour washed around and forming webs of stained colour to open up the surface and find the edges.

Paintings made in a residency in Marseille, France

These paintings were made at The Triangle Artists' Workshop held in Luminy, Marseille, France

These interwoven works which became bolder in scale as time went on were the culmination of impastoed works which evolved over a 4 year period. Technically they are some of the most difficult paintings I have made and possibly the most “unique”. They are painted on canvas with heavy chunks of paint built in relief supported on wooden boards. Approximate sizes are 18cm high by up to 8cm thick.

Developed directly from the previous impasto works, these are the start of the more symmetrical works which evolved into the full bodied heavy roll works. All works are approximately 17-18cm high and up to 4cm thick.

These works began in a summer session in the University of Syracuse, New York, then were further developed upon return. They are arranged roughly chronologically and precede the works classified as "Roll" paintings. As the works developed the move into a symmetry and repetition takes shape - this was entirely in response to the questions being raised by the paintings as they took shape. These are a snapshot of a larger body of work - many of which were destroyed. They average around 18-25cm high and are at times 8cm thick.

Made whilst working in the graduate studios of Syracuse University’s Art department one summer. After a series of paintings looking at shape, area and space, I recut them up and started folding them back into themselves using globs of “junk gel”. I had visited the Golden Paints factory to buy paint and they give you a crate of seconds free with your order - pot luck. The works became heavier and heavier - quite a journey to get them back to the UK in 2 giant boxes as luggage!

The blocks and border works were the culmination of my degree work. Colour chords and sequences which were more or less one-shot works on raw canvas. The earlier ones very steadily emerging out of landscape into abstract painting - via collage.