How to go
What: “Psalms in Abstract” by Ann Williams
Where: Marian Library Gallery, Roesch Library, seventh floor, University of Dayton
When: Continues through July 31. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays
More info: 937-229-4214 or www.udayton.edu/mary/gallery
In the Book of Psalms, the authors alternatively lament, praise and entreat the Lord for His protection, guidance and wisdom in 150 poetic prayers. According to the New International Version of the Bible, David is the author of half of them. The most famous of these is Psalm 23 which begins, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
This reliance upon God is what artist Ann Williams conveys in her series of paintings “Psalms in Abstract,” some of which are currently presented at the Marian Library Gallery at the University of Dayton.
“I began by reading each chapter and recording the names and qualities of God found. I then went back and meditated on the words and was challenged to sketch images to convey these ideas,” said Williams, who lives in Lincoln, Neb. “The series is not a theological study or commentary on the Psalms but instead a search and meditation on who God says he is in this book of the Bible.”
Williams’ thought processes were followed by the creative rendering of each Psalm, all 150 of them. The works in the series at the Marian Library are Psalms 3 through 35. Her ideas were transferred to a canvas banner through an underpainting, followed by a sketch. She further enhances the abstract compositions with oil pastels, acrylic paint, charcoal, and fabric paints.
For instance, in “Psalm 13,” Williams envisioned the name “Lord,” right side up and upside-down, but not as mirror images. The viewer doesn’t see this right away, as the focal point of the piece is a cross which at first appears to be a lopsided “X.” Also not readily apparent is the shape of a heart underneath the paint layer.
That’s the delight of these works, as the viewer discovers layered subtleties while studying each piece. Then there’s the textual aspect of the work. In this case, she’s written “Salvation,” “good” and “my God” on the cross itself, with “unfailing love” across the composition on the bottom.
“The fact that his unfailing love was so great that God gave his son to be salvation for us, is the focus of this banner,” said Williams, director of Visual Voice, a visual arts ministry at Lincoln (Neb.) Berean Church. “I hope viewers will contemplate the goodness of God and the amazing quality of his love.”
Another work is based on Psalm 28, which states in verse 8, “The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of strength for His anointed one.” Using the idea of a fortress, Williams created a dominant wall in the composition. The brownish-red structure is delineated by two golden crosses that support the walls and frame a doorway.
“Our fortress, strength, source of joy and mercy led to the creation of this piece,” Williams said. “It reminds me not only that God is my protector and fortress in time of storm, but that he is also the foundation [upon which] my life should be built. If I choose to build my life on his value system, I will be building what is eternal and unshakeable.”
And building it quickly. When Williams started this series, her initial goal was to be done by the summer of 2009, but she finished all 150 of them in only nine months. Williams has a BFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They were completed by 2007 and were exhibited in Lincoln for three months before becoming a traveling show in segments.
“Ann Williams looks at the psalms from a both meditative and artistic point of view. Her art could be compared to icon writing where the spirit of the psalms garnered in contemplation becomes artistic inspiration and leads the hand of the artist,” said the Rev. Johann Roten at the University of Dayton. “The abstract but nonetheless figurative style evokes associations of meaning in the spectator which are supported and oriented by verbal additions, words which summarize the fruit of the artist’s meditation and prayer.”
Williams says her inspiration for this series grew out of a women’s Bible study group at her church. A woman in her early 70s in the group had gone on a spiritual quest.
“Her walk with God was so strong, and she had found comfort in the Psalms specifically,” Williams said. “And that’s where the initial idea started. She inspired me to want to know who God is in the Psalms.”
And now she’s sharing that inspiration at various churches, galleries, and educational sites throughout the country. Her energy level has not diminished. In fact, she is currently creating work 200 of 240 paintings in a series concerning the Gospels.
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