"Floating Terrain 1" Painting

The work of Lisse Williams pulls from a life haunted by the desire to explore and seek to understand our place within the larger whole. From bronze foundries in the desert of the southwest to welding in the bellies of fishing boats of Alaska, to small farms of Maine; years were spent seeking out new experiences. Amongst all of this was a love of understanding how we inhabit space, how we beautify our lives, and work to coexist with the natural world. Pivotal amongst all of this was the year and a half spent at Arcosanti, in Arizona, an architectural laboratory created by Paolo Soleri. This set the tone for years of contemplation on how we divide ourselves and co mingle with the world; how we choose to set our spaces, together or apart, how we celebrate the natural world or separate from it. The work she creates deeply expresses these thoughts, through the abstraction of our natural world into chaotic terrains, coupled with elegantly ornamented patterns. Her botanical works are odes to the ephemeral beauty before us. She resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she is currently a student of Art History and Fine Art, with the hopes of teaching.