Susan L. Williams - Artist

In the studio...

Self Portrait

(also cover of my personal memoir:

Shades of Grief)

On stage as Amanda in

The Glass Menagerie

When I was a little girl Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Disney movies, Alice in Wonderland and Wind in the Willows charged an early predilection for the anthropomorphizing of the objects around me. Everything had a story and an inner life. Everything had a soul.

A bit later I received a book featuring costumes from around the world and I began to study them in earnest and draw my favorites. This early exploration triggered a love of exotic and highly detailed apparel.

In my early twenties I began an extensive foray into theatre. I acted in and directed many dramas, comedies, musicals and staged radio dramas. Designing costumes, and sets were part every show I directed and a huge part of what I loved about the stage. For me, the play was like a blank canvas on which I could turn my vision into a reality. As a director, the narrative, the plot, atmosphere, in other words, the costumes, sets, and lighting, were an artistic challenge that I loved to meet. Stage direction and character development were equally compelling. The experience opened me to a world of metaphor and archetypes that continue to inform my work. Theater can be a huge leap down the “rabbit hole," and I thrived in it.

I believe all of these influences provided the genesis of my art which is as much about narrative as it is about subject. For me, every sculpture has a history waiting to be discovered. Each character embodies their own story through costuming, gesture, and attitude.

Art, directly and indirectly is a part of all of our lives. Recognizing the turning points, the moments of inspiration is part of the amazing journey of life.

Membership :

San Juan Island Artists Registry
Founding member of The San Juan Island's Art Commission 2015-2019
San Juan Community Theater - Board of Directors
San Juan Island's Artists Studio Tour

Awards and recognition:

Anacortes Annual Art at the Port Juried Fine Art Exhibit

Bill Mitchell Memorial Award
Art in the Schools Purchase Award
People's Choice Award

San Juan Island Art Museum Artist Registry Show

People's Choice Award

Art Doll Magazine

Article & photos — “A Journey With Rabbits”

Showings - Exhibits

San Juan Island Museum of Art Annual Artist Registry Show 2017-
Art at the Port Juried Fine Art Exhibit
San Juan Island's Studio Tour and gallery show 2010-2019
Waterworks Gallery, Friday Harbor, WA - Holiday Show 2011

Education - Background

Artistic Director of the San Juan Community Theater - 2012-2015
Middle School Art Teacher
University of Puget Sound - BA Art Education & Art History
Honolulu Academy of Arts - Painting Studies