Amber Williams

Amber Williams grew up in the small town of Colona, Illinois. Collage was an early and preferred form of artistic expression, finding joy in gluing would-be trash together. Art as a career never crossed her mind as a tangible possibility, despite the responsive urge to fill any elective opportunity with a creative course of some sort. There was very little money to spare, but Amber was always studious and ambitious. With the assistance of a few scholarships, she was the first in her family to attend college. In 2005, she graduated from Albion College (Albion, MI), with a B.A. in Anthropology (summa cum laude). From there, she began her career as a Casemanager, serving adults with disabilities. She rediscovered her passion for collage by chance in 2010, after bringing home a stack of National Geographic magazines from a Friends of the Library sale. This happened during a period of great anxiety, and she credits this rediscovery of collage as a lifesaving moment. Not long after that, she was introduced to the world of security envelope patterns, which also became an obsession. She keeps a sample of each unique envelope she finds, now totaling over 900 shades and patterns. Her collage methods are self-taught and have evolved over time. She notes that her artwork is an unintentional wink at her previous Anthropology studies, since so much of human history is documented by the trash created. 

Collage has been my preferred form of artistic expression since childhood. I rediscovered my passion and have been refining my skills since 2010. I mostly create landscapes, both real and imaginary, but will occasionally create other compositions and commissions as well. My collage methods are self-taught and have evolved over time. Primary source materials are security envelope patterns, magazines, and books.  Since so much of human history is documented by the trash created, my process is an unintentional wink to my previous studies of Anthropology. Compositions start with deconstructing materials by color, pattern, shape, etc. More often than not, I go in attempting to create depth. My preferred tool is scissors, and I also use a variety of hole punch shapes. Substrate is typically wood panel or Masonite. Most recent collages include layers of polycrylic image transfer, a method learned from a colleague in 2019. With all of my collages, I take the opportunity to let my mind wander—revisiting memories and imaging purpose. What started as therapy has developed into an intricate mastery, and for that I am thankful. Art saves.

IL