ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a painter. I love the physicality of the process: making a mark, moving the paint, building meaning through composition, color, and material. Beeswax and fire are the heart of my practice. The work moves between figure and abstraction and across scale, from micro pieces to large wood panels and torn paper torso sculptures.

My paintings are shaped by fire, beeswax, and site-specific remnants—earth, ash, and water—elements of life that carry cultural and ecological histories into the work. I build paintings through layered composition, where marks and materials conceal and reveal, echoing destruction, resilience, and renewal.

BIOGRAPHY

Kelly Williams is a painter and educator based in Portland, Oregon, with over 20 years of professional experience. She is an Artist Instructor for R&F Handmade Paints and a core instructor for Painting with Fire’s international online masterclass, in addition to leading workshops in her Portland studio and abroad. With a background in psychology and social work, Kelly approaches art as both a personal practice and a tool for communication, healing, and resilience. Her teaching blends material exploration with narrative psychology, helping artists connect process and meaning in their own work.

Her work has been exhibited and collected nationally and internationally, with pieces held in private and public collections in the U.S. and abroad. She has participated in international artist residencies in Ireland, where site-specific research continues to shape her practice. Kelly has received multiple grants, including awards from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC), the Oregon Arts Commission, and the Ford Family Foundation. She has presented at the International Encaustic Conference, the International Encaustic Retreat, and numerous community forums.

She continues to mentor artists of all levels, integrating her deep knowledge of materials with her background in psychology to support creative growth, personal expression, and community dialogue.