Geoff Williams was born and raised in Dunedin and it is this area that provides him with the inspiration for many of his landscapes. A sense of calm and peacefulness pervade all of Geoff’s images, whether they are landscapes, still-life or nude studies.
Geoff trained as a sign writer under his father and started his career as a sign writer and screen printer in Dunedin. He is a realist artist and has now been painting full-time for a number of years. While his style has changed very little, his technique has improved and the scale of his vision increased.
His work depicts the common place, the humble seagull, his mate`s trucks or boats, with variations from nudes to the Mackenzie Country. Each work begins with a fine detailed preliminary pencil sketch, an artwork in its own right, the ensuing painting then developed using the time-consuming method of crosshatching. This allows for the reflection of the contrasting lights and colour to produce a luminous effect. So exacting is his method it can take up to six weeks to produce just one work, working an eight-hour day.
Geoff’s paintings can be equally appreciated on close inspection as they can from afar. He uses subtle colour combinations to achieve the silver of tinfoil or the reflective edge of a Formica table; it is these small details in which we find the artist’s dedication to perfection. The treatment of light in each painting is as important as the subject at hand, there is most commonly a strong side lighting, which brings alive the folds and creases in fabric or paper which frequently appears amongst nude and still life. A common object not usually elevated to art status such as the plastic bag is brought to life by the rendering of light and shade.
His work is represented in private collections in Switzerland, Canada, Australia, London, Japan, Germany, America and throughout New Zealand.
Artist Statement:
As I journey through life I interpret and illustrate the things that give my life meaning. Whilst obviously realistic, the images are manipulated to convey a feeling and tell a story that many not necessarily be true but must be convincing and imbued wit a sense of magic and wonder. – Geoff Williams