Brian WILLIAMS

Born: 1950 in Lima, Peru
Medium: etching, monotype, lithograph & watercolor painting

After being raised in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Brian Williams moved to California in 1966 to complete high school and attend college. There he began to realize his goal in life was to be a full-time artist. A visit to Japan in 1972 resulted in his becoming a permanent resident. Primarily self-taught, Brian now regularly exhibits all over Japan, and works in many different media--from etching and lithography to monotypes and watercolor painting.
An active man who loves traveling and adventure, Brian has trekked in the Himalayas, hiked the Gobi Desert and climbed in the Swiss Alps. Wherever he goes, Brian takes materials to paint--whether the Acropolis, Brazilian waterfalls, a beach in Tahiti, or San Marco in Venice. Since he is often outdoors working, Brian is aware of the often dramatic changes wrought by civilization on Nature. A devoted environmentalist, he is actively involved in awakening Japanese society to the dangers from pollution and rampant development. He appears frequently on Japanese television to discuss art or the environment.
Brian lives in a lovingly restored Japanese style farmhouse on the west side of Lake Biwa, in Shiga Prefecture. Perhaps as a result of living in a relatively undeveloped neighborhood, Brian finds farmhouses and other rural imagery a common subject for his artistic creations. Often he will apply muted hand-coloring to a lithograph, or use warm sepia inks with an etching print. In each, he seems able to capture both the quiet atmosphere and mood of a scene, as well as the specific details and textures of roof tiles, straw thatching, or the coarse bark of a tree branch.

Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions:
CWAJ Print Show, Tokyo since 1983
Kyoto
Yokohama
Kanagawa
Osaka
Bodega Bay
San Francisco

Selected Permanent Collections:
British Museum, London
Canadian Academy, Kobe
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia
Sanyo Electric Corporation
Cincinnatti Art Museum, Ohio
Portland Art Institute, Oregon