Biography

Maryland artist Eileen Williams, has worked in a wide variety of art media. Beginning with oil and acrylic painting, to knotted jute fiber designs, wood and stone sculpturing, to working for a company that taught her the technique of using fabrics to emulate animal skins on commercial life-sized fiberglass animals. This technique would be the hallmark, in later years, of using fabric in her mixed-media art. Eileen also experimented with clay and bread dough, which were materials used initially to make jewelry and ornaments. She used a life size wrought iron facemask and formed the clay or bread dough over the mask. Once dried and baked, these faces would be cover with fabric or left natural; beginning the journey of using faces, fabric and mixed media in 1996.

It wasn’t until 2006, when Eileen’s love for fabric peaked again while encountering new and beautiful fabrics. They were an inspirational catalyst for her to revisit what was started in 1996; fabric mixed-media designs, which then had taken a back seat to her paintings, sculptures, and working full time in the medical field.

Using female faces covered with fabric began the series, “Celebration Of Women Through Faces In Fabric”, which embodied the many facets of a women. Intrigued by the geometry and asymmetry of the triangle form that appears often in her work; comprised of a fabric stretched over a wooden frame—canvas style—layered with additional fabric and mixed media elements, gave her pieces a three dimensional effect.

In 2009-2010 Eileen had a brief detour in her life when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through chemotherapy and radiation. Feeling great today, cancer free, Eileen continues creating art; a passion that will always be a part of her life.

Exhibits:

• 2012
  • Contemporary Art Fair, Jacob Javits Center, New York, New York
  • Parallax Art Fair, New York, New York
  • The Montpelier Arts Center, "Montpelier All Hung", Laurel, MD
  • Target Gallery/Torpedo Factory, Connectivity: "Threads of Community", Alexandria, VA
  • 100 East Pratt Street, lobby gallery, Baltimore, MD, solo exhibit
  • Artomatic 2012, Crystal City, VA
• 2011
  • Open Minds Open Doors Exhibit, The Kossiakoff Center, JHU/APL, Laurel, MD
  • 100 East Pratt Street, lobby gallery, Baltimore, MD, solo exhibit
  • Baltimore World Trade Center, The Maryland Women's Heritage Center, "Women's Art: Women's Vision"
• 2010
  • Maryland Federation of Art, Fiber Options Material Explorations, Annapolis, MD
  • Howard County Center for the Arts, HoCo Open 2010, Ellicott City, MD
  • Watermark Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD
• 2009
  • Artomatic 2009, Washington, DC
  • Maryland Art Place (MAP), “Out of Order”, Baltimore, MD
  • Baltimore World Trade Center, The Maryland Women’s Heritage Center 2nd annual
    “Women’s Art: Women’s Vision”
  • Watermark Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • Black Rock Center For The Arts, “Tribute To Fiber Art”, Germantown, MD
  • Baker Artist Awards, online exhibit, Baltimore, MD
• 2008
  • The Carroll County Arts Center Tevis Gallery, “Beautiful Contemplations”,
    Westminister, MD
  • Howard County Center for the Arts, “Art MD 2008”, Ellicott City, MD
  • Gordon Art Center, Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Art Gallery, Owings Mills, MD
  • SaSa’s Spa, 2-women exhibit, Baltimore, MD
  • Slaton House Gallery, Columbia, MD
  • Wells Real Estate Building, Baltimore, MD
  • The Mark Whistler Gallery, Baltimore, MD
• 2007
  • Wells Real Estate Building, Baltimore, MD
  • The Mark Whistler Gallery, Baltimore, MD

Membership

• Howard County Art Council