Anne and I just returned from a trip to Texas, where we had
the chance to visit a couple of notable art galleries in Fredricksburg. The
first was Insight Gallery, where we were treated to some excellent oil
paintings, including one by C.W.Mundy a recognized top-tier American artist. I
mentioned to Anne that Mundy is Todd Williams’ mentor, and we looked around,
expecting to see Todd’s work there.
It was in the next gallery that we found Todd’s paintings:
The Whistle Pik Gallery. The Whistle Pik has been around for maybe ten years,
and has an established place in the national representational art scene.
Several small Todd Williams landscapes
were featured in the front room. There were two sunset scenes that had dots on
their labels, indicating that the paintings were sold. Congratulations!
I met Todd probably seven or eight years ago after watching
him do a demonstration for the Artists of Northwest Arkansas in Springdale. The
most memorable thing about that demo was that before he started, Todd said a
prayer. I remember thinking, “This fellow is serious about painting.” At that
time, Todd was already an accomplished artist, but in the next few years,
through relentless dedication and focus, he has developed a recognizable
fluidity of style and experienced a great deal of success. Collectors, gallery
directors, exhibition jurors and fellow artists are in accord, and the work of
Todd Williams has a widespread appeal. The quality puts him among the very best
of living oil painters.
I have been fortunate to watch Todd paint a few times at
Plein Air painting events in Bentonville and Big Cedar Lodge, Missouri.
His canvases are usually “open”, meaning you can see the
bare or lightly toned canvas in places. Other passages are painted in heavy
impasto. The edges are predominantly soft, the color muted and harmonious.
Romantic realism is what I would call the work. Ranging from small river and
harbour scenes to large figurative work, Todd has accomplished an amazing
degree of individuality or “authorship” in his work. All of it has obviously
passed through the emotional aperture of his consciousness to express a humble
and profound love of life on earth.
We at Fayetteville Underground are fortunate to have such an
accomplished painters as one of our featured artists in March 2013.
MM Kent
MM Kent
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| Golden by Todd Williams |
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| Marriah 2 by Todd Williams http://toddwilliamsfineart.com |
