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Sandra Williams paints Nature with the passion and dedication of one whose life has always been focused on the incredible order and beauty of this planet and the creatures on it. Her primary goal in her art is to create an emotional relationship between her subject and the viewer. If she is painting a bird or an animal, she makes sure that the anatomy and details are correct, but more than that, she attempts to bring out the essence of the creature's personality in order to have the viewer connect with the animal on an emotional level. With a landscape or habitat painting she often creates a mood such as a misty morning to encourage the viewer to imagine being in such a wonderful setting. In all her paintings, light is one of the most important tools that she uses to bring her paintings to a higher dramatic level. Born in south Texas, Sandra grew up always near the water, where her interest in the marine environment led to a BA at the University of Houston and an early career in marine biology. She moved to Florida in 1977, where she has painted the birds, fish and animals as well as the palms, plants and landscapes of the tropical environment. |
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With a keen eye for detail, her commitment to authenticity has led her to carefully research and document her subjects. An accomplished photographer, Sandra has assembled a collection of over 40,000 photos, covering such overall views of a bison herd on the prairie, down to closeups of the way the fur lays around different parts of an animal. She is meticulous about not leaving an important detail to guesswork. Having traveled extensively and always eager for personal contact with her subjects, Sandra has spent hours underwater with manatees, tracked down waterbirds through thick mangroves and explored coral reefs off the Florida Keys and the Caribbean. She has studied moose and herds of elk and bison in their Wyoming habitat, visited puffins and other seabird colonies by Zodiac off the coast of Alaska and explored rainforests in the Northwest, Brazil and Jamaica. Sandra has observed burrowing owl colonies and monitored nesting sites of skimmers, terns and other threatened species. For many years Sandra has also worked in bird rescue and rehabilitation. While she is primarily self-taught, in recent years Sandra has taken part in several workshops, studying under such prominent artists as Robert Bateman, Greg Beecham, Rod Frederick, Terry Isaac, Kobus Moeller, Stephen Quiller, John Seerey-Lester and Mort Solberg. She works in acrylics, oils and mixed media. As recipient of numerous awards, including environmental art and stamp competitions, Sandra has constantly channeled her art to aid conservation and environmental projects. She has taken awards in juried shows including Year of the Gulf of Mexico, St. Pete Beach Art Institute, Sun Fiesta, and Florida Wildlife Expo. Stamp honors include placing in the South Carolina Saltwater Stamp Competition in two different years and second place in the Florida Lobster Stamp competition. In 1996 she was awarded the Florida Wildlife Expo John Seerey-Lester Scholarship. From 1999 through 2004, her paintings have been selected in the National Arts For the Parks Top 100 and Top 200 competition. Her painting, "Harvesting the Berries" placed in the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society "Best of America, 2003" Show. Sandra created "Beach Babies" for the Tampa Bay Tour of Turtles, which is now on permanent display at the Pier Aquarium's education station by Spa Beach. She also created a 100 foot long beach scene for the Outdoor Arts Foundation which covers the fencing around a construction project on Clearwater Beach. Her most recent project was a chair for the Foundation's "Chairs for Charity" project, in which she painted "The Birdwatcher", an Adirondack chair featuring a Roseate Spoonbill, and on the back, a Great Blue Heron. In the seat she painted a nest with eggs in it. She continues to do projects for the organization. In October of 2002, Sandra organized the Pass-A-Grille Plein Air Painters group which meets to paint outdoors on a regular basis. She and her group were featured on TV Fox 13's Good Day Tampa Bay Show and were the focal point of the Florida Wildlife Expo in 2003. She is also a member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, Professional Association of Visual Artists (PAVA) and the Wildlife Artist Association. In 1999, Sandra and her artist daughter, Kathy Crotts, purchased The Nature of Art Gallery in Historic Pass-a-Grille on St. Pete Beach, Florida. Her work is showcased there as well as in several other galleries around the nation. Sandra's work is found in private and corporate collections in the U.S. as well as other countries. BAYSTUDIOS FINE ART The Art Pros Curators Dan Rojas, Vesna Anderson, and Denise Rojas DBA ROJAS PRODUCTIONS 813-626-8738 www.baystudios.com © 2006 Artist and Rojas Productions |
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18" X 24" OIL ON CANVAS $850 |
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18" X 24" OIL ON CANVAS $650 _ |
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