As long as I can remember I have loved the outdoors, whether it was exploring the wooded area behind my grandparents’ home, backpacking throughout my youth, stuffing my 6’7” frame into a Hyundai to travel the western United States or meandering the backroads of Oklahoma. More recently my relationship with nature has been through that of a painter’s lens as I explore places, mood and atmosphere that speak to me. As a result of these experiences my watercolors have varied from urban scenes to construction sites to industrial areas to natural landscapes, both near and far, almost always en plein air. Initially drawn to watercolor via architecture (exploring the work on my grandfather’s drawing board as a child as well as being exposed to inspiring renderings and historic documents throughout my professional career), I find the unpredictable and beautiful dispersion of color in water fascinating and the challenge to represent my observations with this medium invigorating. My hope is that by doing so I may help others find beauty in the world around us. Over the past few years I have actively been pursuing my passion for watercolor, in the process developing a wonderful circle of like-minded people who have inspired and encouraged me. I sincerely hope that I may continue to be inspired by these persons, and others as yet unmet, as I improve along my path of being the best watercolor painter that I can be! JEFF WILLIAMS' BIO Jeff Williams is a retired professor of architecture from Oklahoma. He has won numerous major design competitions, including first prize in the coveted Paris Prize National Design Competition and honorable mention in the Van Alen International Design Competition, which provided opportunities to spend extensive time traveling throughout Europe, allowing him to experience diverse cultures and develop exceptional drawing skills. Upon returning to the USA he practiced architecture in Minneapolis prior to relocating to Oklahoma to begin his teaching career with a focus on design. For thirty one years he taught design as well as led numerous student groups on summer European sketching excursions. Williams simultaneously maintained an award winning architectural design consulting practice which included commercial, public and private projects. In 2017 he retired from teaching to pursue two of his passions, watercolor painting and travel. Inspired and encouraged by workshop leaders Tony Van Hasselt, Thomas Schaller and most notably, Joseph Zbukvic, Williams is currently creating paintings both in studio and “en plein air.” He has rapidly become a regular on the “plein air circuit,” winning numerous awards. His plein air paintings have been juried into numerous regional and national exhibitions, again receiving various awards. 2020 has seen him juried into all plein air events entered before the pandemic, including Easton Plein Air, the largest and most prestigious plein air event available, and En Plein Air Texas, where he won one of the Mini-Pearl awards; his watercolor “Rockin’ Bass Rocks” was recognized as the outstanding watercolor in the international Boldbrush Competition in January 2020. Most recently Williams’ painting “Another Beautiful Day in Oxford” placed third in the prestigious Plein Air Easton 2021. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” Mark Twain RECENT RECOGNITION One of fifty eight artists internationally to be juried into the Easton Plein Air 2021, held in Easton, Maryland (this is the largest and most prestigious plein air event in the USA!); Williams’ painting “Another Beautiful Day in Oxford” was selected as the Third Place winner by the awards judge, President and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum, NYC, Daniel H. Weiss. Invited participant in the 8 person exhibition “The Rattlesnake Gang Presents Big Bend National Park,” Art Gallery Prudencia, San Antonio, Texas, April 10 –May 23, 2021. “Winter Silence” was selected to be in the national juried exhibition “Landscapes to Explore,” to be held at the Kansas City Stockyards Gallery March 19 – April 9, 2021 “Rockin’ Bass Rocks” was one of 106 paintings (from almost 1,000 submissions) juried into the National Watercolor Society 2021 Members Exhibition by juror Mat Barber Kennedy One of 43 artists selected for inclusion in the national juried show "Street Scenes 2021" hosted by the Maryland Federation of Art; of 371 entries, 57 entries were selected, including three of Williams’ paintings: "Smith Lake, Washington Park, Denver, Colorado,” “Grand Marais Industrial Building Quick Draw,” and “Dreams of Traveling Again, Stillwater Regional Airport” One of 30 juried artists nationally juried into 2020 En Plein Air Texas, held in San Angelo, TX, October 17-24, 2020; “Cactus Hotel” won a Mini-Pearl Award as the best small works paintings by judge Tim Newton Invited artist participant representing the state of Oklahoma for The Great American Paint In™, where “America’s greatest artists can share their 2020 world pandemic experience through their art.” https://thegreatpaint-in.com/ Invited Selection Judge for the 2020 Plein Air Painters of New Mexico National Exhibition, Fall 2020 Invited Interviewee for online video by the Australian videographer and watercolor painter, Art With Sylvie, July 2020 One of 30 juried artists nationally to be juried into the 2020 Harford Plein Air Festival by judge Ray Hassard, held in Harford County, Maryland, (Declined due to COVID-19 pandemic) One of thirty artists to be juried into the 2020 Mountain Maryland Plein Air Competition, held in Western Maryland, June 15-20, 2020 “Rockin’ Bass Rocks” won the “Outstanding Watercolor” award as well as was recognized as part of the “FAV15” in the January 2020 online Boldbrush Painting Contest One of thirty artists internationally to be juried into the 2020 Paint Annapolis Plein Air Competition by juror Vladislav Yeliseyev, held in Annapolis, Maryland, June 2-9, 2020 One of 58 artists internationally to be juried into the Easton Plein Air 2020 by juror Julia Marciari-Alexander, held in Easton, Maryland, July 12-19, 2020 One of twenty eight artists nationally to be juried into the inaugural Plein Air New Bern by juror Nancy Tankersley, held in New Bern, North Carolina, May 11-16, 2020 One of thirty artists nationally to be juried into the 2020 Shadows-on-the-Teche Plein Air Competition by juror Kenn Erroll Backhaus, held in New Iberia, Louisiana, March 14-21, 2020 “All Aboard!” was recognized with an Award of Excellence in the Art of the Plains 2019 American Plains Artists Thirty-fourth Annual Juried Exhibit & Sale by judge Sonya Terpening. “Distant Memories,” “Ten XXX Ranch, Distant View,” and “All Aboard!” were juried into the Art of the Plains 2019 American Plains Artists Thirty-fourth Annual Juried Exhibit & Sale by judge Sonya Terpening, held at the Pearce Museum at Navarro College, Corsicana, TX, October 10, 2019 through January 4, 2020 “A Rainy Friday on McElroy” was juried into The Artist of Northwest Arkansas’ Celebration of Art National Juried Exhibition by entry judges John Pototschnik, Larry Seiler and Rod Zullo. Juried into the 7th Annual 2019 Bath County Plein Air Festival by their Jury of Submissions Committee, held in Bath County, Virginia, September 30 - October 6, 2019 (Declined due to schedule conflicts) Juried into the 4th Annual 2019 Bucks County Plein Air Festival by their Selection Committee, held in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, October 1-6, 2019 (Declined due to schedule conflicts) One of 40 artists nationally to be juried into Cape Ann Plein Air 2019 by Selection Juror Mark Boedges, held in Cape Ann (Essex, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Rockport), Massachusetts, October 6-14, 2019, where “Morning at the Docks” won the Best Nocturne Award by judge Kenn Erroll Backhaus Juried into the 16th Annual 2019 Plein Air Grand Marais by their Selection Committee, held in Grand Marais, Minnesota, September 6-13, 2019 One of twenty three artists nationally to be juried into the inaugural 2019 Central City Plein Air Festival by judge Bruce Gomez, held in Central City, Colorado, September 27-29, 2019 One of 30 juried artists nationally to be juried into the 2019 Harford Plein Air Festival, held in Harford County, Maryland, October 6 - 12, 2019 (Declined due to schedule conflicts) “Lake Carl Blackwell Backwaters” and “Barn East of Stillwater” were juried into the exhibition "Home Sweet Oklahoma," Hazel Modella Gallery, Stillwater, OK, May 30 – June 29, 2019 “Almost Home” was recognized as part of the “FAV15” in the February 2019 online Boldbrush Painting Contest One of twenty-two artists nationally to be juried into the 2019 Two Rivers Plein Air Competition by judge Qiang Huang, held in New Braunfels, Texas, April 30 – May 3, 2019 One of forty-one artists nationally to be juried into the 2019 Finger Lakes Plein Air Competition by judges Jo Ellen Murphy, Vlad Yeliseyev, and David Lussier, held in Canandaigua, New York, June 4-9, 2019 (Declined due to schedule conflicts) One of thirty artists nationally to be juried into the 2019 Parrsboro International Plein Air Competition by judge Nancy Tankersley, held in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, Canada, June 20-23, 2019 (Declined due to schedule conflicts) One of thirty artists internationally to be juried into the 2019 Paint Annapolis Plein Air Competition by judge Valerie Craig, held in Annapolis, Maryland, June 2-9, 2019; “St. Mary’s from the Pier” won Third Place in the Dueling Brushes (Quick Paint); “Sixth Street Bridge (Eastport Bridge), Annapolis” won Second Place in the Art on the Avenue event (Jo Fleming, juror); “Sixth Street Bridge (Eastport Bridge), Annapolis” won Honorable Mention (Larry Moore, juror) One of twenty-five artists nationally to be juried into the 2019 Telluride Plein Air Competition, held in Telluride, Colorado, June 30 - July 6, 2019 One of thirty artists nationally to be juried into the 2019 Shadows-on-the-Teche Plein Air Competition by judge Morgan Samuel Price, held in New Iberia, Louisiana, March 9-16, 2019; “Bridge at Cypremort Point” won the Nocturnal Award as the best nocturne painting in the show "Storm Clouds Move Across Highway 177” was accepted into the Arkansas Territory Bicentennial Show, a two-year traveling exhibition and commemorative book sponsored by the Heart of America Artists’ Association celebrating 200 years of the Arkansas Territory 9 paintings were juried into the exhibition "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle," Hazel Modella Gallery, Stillwater, OK, January 17 - February 24, 2019 “Almost Home” was recognized as a Finalist in the January 2019 online Emerging Artist Art Muse Contest, by judge Jill Basham “A Rainy Friday on McElroy” was recognized as a Finalist in the November 2018 online Emerging Artist Art Muse Contest, by judge Nancy Tankersley “Russian and Autumn Sage in Fall” was recognized as part of the “FAV15” in the September 2018 online Boldbrush Painting Contest 3 paintings juried into the American Plains Artists (APA) 33rd Annual Juried Exhibit & Sale, San Angelo, TX, 2018; “Barn Southwest of Perkins 2” was awarded the Best Landscape Award by juror and gallery owner R.S. ”Shannon” Hanna, of R.S. Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX 2nd Place, Quick Draw Competition, 2017 En Plein Air Texas, San Angelo, TX