Featured Artist Lilina Williams

 Enjoy the rich detail and colors of featured artist Lilina Williams’ portfolio. See more of her work on her website.

 

 

 

I was born in Cairo, Egypt of Greek parents, and came to the United States in 1961 to attend Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio, where I received a BA in Political Science. I subsequently received an MA in International Relations from American University in Washington, DC.

 

 

I took art classes throughout my university years and, after graduating from American University and joining the World Bank, I continued taking evening painting classes with Brockie Stevenson at the Corcoran College of Art and Design. After retiring from the World Bank in 1999, I was able to devote full time to painting. I studied with Pat Hutchens and Leslie Exton and received a Certificate in Painting and Drawing from the Corcoran College in 2001.

 

 

My compositions are inspired by nature and the intricacies of flowers and plants as well as objects, which are challenging in details and color. Furthermore, as a Greek, the influence of ancient Greek civilization has been a constant presence in my life from the time I was very young.

 

 

Although I have worked with acrylics and watercolors, I prefer to paint with oils on canvas and linen. I paint slowly so I take pictures of my subjects: flowers, plants or still lifes. In this way, I have an exact record until I complete my painting.

 

 

Some of my plant portraits are true to size, but many are blow-ups of nature. I often choose dark solid colors for my background to emphasize the natural, often bold colors of flowers and plants and use light to bring them to life on the flat canvas. For my still lifes, I use the traditional method, starting with a grisalle wash and develop the painting by adding colors in thin layers of paint.

 

 

I am currently working on two large paintings: an Oncidium and a  Miltoniopsis, as well as several small still lifes.