BIOGRAPHY - Shirley Williams

Shirley Williams has been a professional, award-winning artist for over 25 years.

She is best known for her multi-layered abstract paintings inspired by the intrinsic energies of color, nature forms and tactile texture. Her paintings have been exhibited in major cities across Canada and the US.

In addition to Caesars International, major corporate collections include Hubb International, General Motors, BMO Financial, Ethan Allen Global and A & W Food Service, to name only a few.

Her paintings can be found in public collections such as Ronald McDonald House, University of Windsor, Ste. Cecile Academy Library and WFCU. Major private collections include the Zekelman Foundation and the Odette Foundation.

Shirley Williams has won numerous Art Grants over the years. She was the recipient of the prestigious Endowment for the Arts, Elizabeth Havelock Foundation Award in 2012 for mid-career artists. She was also honored to receive a Letter of Recognition from Canadian Prime Minister Harper and Mayor Ed Francis, City of Windsor in 2013.

She currently works in a large airy warehouse studio in Windsor, Ontario, across the river from Detroit, Michigan.

REPRESENTED BY

ADC FINE ART‍ ‍1013 York Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. 45214. 513-723-1222

33 CONTEMPORARY GALLERY 500 N. Dixie Hwy, Lake Worth, Florida 33460.

SAATCHI GALLERY - online

NANCY JOHNS GALLERY 4755 Wyandotte Street East, Windsor, Ontario N8Y 1H8 519-945-2222

RESUME - C/V

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  • 2012           Bartlett Gallery. VIBRATIONS. Alton. Ontario

    2012           New Era Gallery. FORCES OF NATURE. Austin. Texas

    2010-11      Art Gallery of Windsor. Museum. FORCES OF NATURE. (Catalog) Curator James Patten

    2010           Sweet Gallery. HORIZONS.  Naples. Florida

    2009           Alan Barnes Fine Art. VISTAS. (Catalog). Dallas. Texas

    2009           Artspeak Gallery.INTIMATE WAX. Curator Utsey Hadaro. Windsor

    2008           Leonardo Galleries. COLOURSCAPES. Toronto

    2007           St. Clair Centre for the Arts. Windsor Symphony Orchestra Benefit. Windsor

    2004           Capitol Arts Centre.  Juried. COLORSCAPES. Windsor

    2002           Cobo Hall.  Invitational. COLORSCAPES. Detroit. Michigan

    2001           DKP Gallery.  Invitational. RECENT WORKS. Toronto

  • 2025. ADC Fine Art, ‘RADIANCE’ Curated by Litsa Spanos, Cincinnati, Ohio

    2025. 33 Contemporary. ‘TERRAIN’ Curated by Sergio Gomez, Catalog. Palm Beach. Florida

    2024. 33 Contemporary. RESILIENCE. Curated by Sergio Gomez. Artsy Online

    2024. ADC Fine Art. WHAT’S NEW-WHAT’S NOW. Curated. Cincinnati, Ohio

    2023. Leamington Art Centre. WFCU Painting Competition. Curated. Honorable Mention Winner

    2019 Jen Tough Gallery. LEARNING CURVE. Curated. San Francisco, California

    2018 Sho Gallery. Invitational. Windsor

    2018 Accelerator Gallery. ART RE-ZONED. (catalog) Curated 4-artist. Windsor

    2017 Artsy Shark. THE ABSTRACT WORL.D Juried Online. artsyshark.com

    2016 SB Contemporary Art, Windsor

    2015 SB Contemporary Art. Windsor

    2013 Leonardo Galleries. TWO FEATURED ARTISTS. Toronto

    2012 Leonardo Galleries. WINTERLUDE. Toronto

    2012 Sho Gallery. Invitational. Windsor

    2012 SB Contemporary. Invitational. Windsor

    2011 SB Contemporary. Invitational. Windsor

    2011 The Landfill Art Project. Touring Exhibition. USA

    2010 Leonardo Galleries. WINTER. Toronto

    2009 Leonardo Galleries. WHITE SLATE. Toronto

    2008 Leonardo Galleries. OUT OF THE GREEN. Toronto

    2007 James Cohan Gallery. POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE. New York. NY

    2006 Sikkema Jenkins Gallery. MINIATURES. New York. NY

    2006 Artists Space. MINIATURES.New York. NY

    2006 Art Gallery of Windsor. Juried Group. Windsor

    2002 Cobo Center. Invitational. Detroit, Michigan

    1998 Moda Gallery. Juried Group. Birmingham. Michigan

  • 2023 Honorable Mention Winner - WFCU Painting Competition. Canada

    2012           Mid-Career Recognition Award. Prime Minister of Canada, Steven Harper.

    2012           Winner – Elizabeth Havelock Arts Award Grant. Mid-Career. Canada

    2010           Exhibition Assistance Grant. Ontario Arts Council. Ontario

    2009           Exhibition Assistance Grant. Ontario Arts Council. Ontario

    2008           Winner- National Juried Painting Competition. Curator Milka Stupa

    1997           Exhibition Assistance Grant. Ontario Arts Council. Ontario 

    1996           General Art Grant. Odette Foundation for the Arts. Canada

  • 2023 Podcast Guest - Host Cory Huff - THE ABUNDANT ARTIST

    2023 Podcast Guest - Host Curator Sergio Gomez -SECRETS OF A SUCCESSFUL CORPORATE ART COMMISSION.

    2016                       Instructor - Visiting Artist Workshop - Art Gallery of Windsor

    2014                       Moderator. THE ART OF BUSINESS AND THE BUSINESS OF ART. WEA, U of W

    2013                       Presenter. CHANGING THE ODDS. University of Windsor

    2008-Present           Founder /  Writer. www.ColorWheelArtist.com. Public Web Project on Color

    2009                       Panelist / Presenter. SmArtist International Telesummit.

    2008                       Writer - E-Book. Stand Out in a Crowd - Artist Guide to Digital Images

    2006-2007               Visual Artist in Residence. Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Collaborative

     2004 - Present         Visitor in the Arts / Mentor / Private Art Tutor. Ste. Cecile International School

     1995-2001               Studio Instructor. Art Gallery of Windsor 

    1997-1998               Patrons Studio Visit. Birmingham-Bloomfield Art Center.  Michigan

    1995                       Studio Visit. Detroit Institute of Art

  • FOCUS ON CANADA SOUTH - Artist of the Month Feature (March 2024)

    NEW YORK OPTIMIST - Feature / Review (02/24)

    CANADIAN ABSTRACT ARTIST  - Featured Artist of the Month - Written Interview (10/21)

    THE DRIVE MAGAZINE - BRUSH WITH SUCCESS. Feature Biography (Spring 2019)

    THE THIRTY-  PROFILE OF THE ARTIST Shirley Williams' (Online July 2017)

    PROFESSIONAL ARTIST MAGAZINE - WHAT IS SIP AND PAINT? Int'l (Oct 2016)

    WINDSOR LIFE MAGAZINE - AWARD WINNING ARTIST Feature article by Kim Willis (Nov 2015)

    WINDSOR STAR - WILLIAMS WINS PRESTIGIOUS ELIZAETH HAVELOCK GRANT’ Article & photo by Ted Shaw (07/07/12)

    WINDSOR STAR -  Art Gallery of Windsor  Exhibition Review by Ted Shaw, photo by Scott Webster (01/12/10)

    WINDSOR STAR - ARTBEAT Exhibition Review by Ted Shaw, photo by Scott Webster

    WHERE IN TORONTO - Exhibition Review -GREEN COLOURSCAPE. Featured Painting (Aug 2008)

    WINDSOR STAR -  WILLIAMS WINS NATIONAL PAINTING COMPETITION  By Ted Shaw (04/03/08)

    THE ARTIST MAGAZINE - WORK IN PROGRESS By Kathy Gulrich,   New York. NY   (10/07)

    WINDSOR SYMPHONY QUARTER NOTES - COLORSCAPE SYMPHONY. Cover  (Spring 2007)

    WINDSOR SYMPHONY QUARTER NOTES - IMAGINE By Jay Katz  (Winter 2006)

    WINDSOR LIFE MAGAZINE -  ARTIST IN RESIDENCE  By Lori Newton (03/06)

    THE DRIVE MAGAZINE -  THE CREATIVE APPROACH. By Sarah Fisher  (07/04) 

  • HUB INTERNATIONAL - Windsor

    RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE - Windsor

    UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR - Windsor

    SACRED HEART SEMINARY - Detroit, Michigan

    STE CECILE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARY - Windsor

    COUNTY OF ESSEX CITY HALL - Essex, Ontario

    WINDSOR FAMILY CREDIT UNION - Windsor

    ART GALLERY OF WINDSOR - Museum for Southwest Ontario. Canada

  • HUB INTERNATIONAL - Windsor. Ontario

    CAESARS INTERNATIONAL - Windsor. Ontario

    GENERAL MOTORS - Detroit. Michigan

    ZEKELMAN INDUSTRIES - Windsor. Ontario

    GREY ADVERTISING - New York. NY Eastern Construction. Toronto. Ontario

    SATURN TOOL & DIE - Detroit. Michigan

    KPMG INTERNATIONAL - Toronto, Ontario

    BMO FINANCIAL - Windsor. Ontario

    TLC THE LASER CENTER - Tulsa. Oklahoma

    A & W FOOD SERVICES - Vancouver, BC

    ETHAN ALLEN GLOBAL - New York, NY

  • 2018 Juried Artist Retreat. With artist Michael Shemchuk, California

    2015 Juried Artist Retreat. With artist Nicholas Wilton. California

    2013 Professional Artist Workshop. With artist Robert Burridge. California

    2005 Professional Encaustic Workshop, With artist Joanne Mattera. NY

    1992-1994 University of Windsor, Painting, Drawing, Art History

    1990–1991 University of Toronto, Painting, Drawing, Psychology, Art History

    1988–1989 Ontario College of Art, Painting, Drawing, Design