Emrys Williams
Artist Statement
Emrys Williams was born in Liverpool in 1958 and moved with his family to Colwyn Bay on the North Wales coast in 1969. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, London (1976-1980) where he was awarded the Robert Ross Scholarship and the Boise Travelling Scholarship.
He has exhibited widely in Britain and has participated in many solo and group exhibitions shown including the 12th Liverpool John Moores Painting Exhibition (1982) where he was a prizewinner and the Serpentine Summer Show (1983). He has held three one man shows in London at the Benjamin Rhodes Gallery and has had major public touring shows including “Sunny Spells” (1995) organised by Oriel Mostyn/Berwick Gymnasium Gallery, touring to MAC Birmingham, the Glynn Vivian Swansea and Turner House Penarth, “Various Fictions” (1998) Collins Gallery, Glasgow and “Emrys Williams - Recent Paintings” (2002) at Newport Museum and Art Gallery touring to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth and Oriel Davies, Newtown (2003).
Recently he was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal for Fine Art at the National Eisteddfod of Wales (2007). In addition he was first prize-winner at the University of Glamorgan Purchase Prize Exhibition (2006) and won the “Painting Prize” at the St. David’s Hall “Welsh Artist of the Year” exhibition (2007).
He has also worked as a designer for opera as artist- in- residence at the Welsh National Opera (2002) and developed film projects such As “Sunny Spells A Game for Optimists” (1994) with Director Paul Islwyn Thomas.
He has worked as a half time lecturer at Coleg Menai, Bangor since 1990, currently as joint co-ordinator on the Ba Fine Art programme
He has exhibited widely in Britain and has participated in many solo and group exhibitions shown including the 12th Liverpool John Moores Painting Exhibition (1982) where he was a prizewinner and the Serpentine Summer Show (1983). He has held three one man shows in London at the Benjamin Rhodes Gallery and has had major public touring shows including “Sunny Spells” (1995) organised by Oriel Mostyn/Berwick Gymnasium Gallery, touring to MAC Birmingham, the Glynn Vivian Swansea and Turner House Penarth, “Various Fictions” (1998) Collins Gallery, Glasgow and “Emrys Williams - Recent Paintings” (2002) at Newport Museum and Art Gallery touring to the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth and Oriel Davies, Newtown (2003).
Recently he was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal for Fine Art at the National Eisteddfod of Wales (2007). In addition he was first prize-winner at the University of Glamorgan Purchase Prize Exhibition (2006) and won the “Painting Prize” at the St. David’s Hall “Welsh Artist of the Year” exhibition (2007).
He has also worked as a designer for opera as artist- in- residence at the Welsh National Opera (2002) and developed film projects such As “Sunny Spells A Game for Optimists” (1994) with Director Paul Islwyn Thomas.
He has worked as a half time lecturer at Coleg Menai, Bangor since 1990, currently as joint co-ordinator on the Ba Fine Art programme