Ouida Williams: A New Perspective

ACE / FRANCISCO Gallery is proud to present the large-scale work of late abstract painter, Ouida Williams. The show, Ouida Williams: A New Perspective, opens on Thursday August 18th from 6PM-8PM and will be on view through September 10th. A Georgia native, Williams received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia. During her graduate studies, Williams was considered a figurative painter. In the years to follow, she developed and perfected her non-figurative style. Her use of color, shape, and light indicate strong influences from the color field, abstract expressionism, and minimalism movements. When Williams previously described her motivation as an artist, she stated, “my paintings are primarily explorations of the power of color and compositional relationships.” She found inspiration in landscapes and aerial views but was less concerned with “referring to particular subject matter” because it lacked the challenges she welcomed in nonfigurative painting.

From 2005 through 2020, Williams’ painting studio was in Suite 1500 of the Leathers Building, where ACE / FRANCISCO is currently. Since Williams passed away during Covid lockdown, many of her friends who spent time with her in the studio over the years were not able to say goodbye. The new owners of Suite 1500 thought it only fitting to host Ouida Williams: A New Perspective in the hopes that old friends—and those new to her work—could spend time in the gallery in her honor.
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The ACE / FRANCISCO Gallery, at the historic Leathers Building in downtown Athens, Georgia, is located inside the portrait studio of Thrasher Photo + Design. Gallery hours, outside of Opening Reception evenings and special weekend hours during shows’ duration, are by appointment only. Check the gallery’s Instagram and website for special hours and updates. 

Limited Edition Fine Art Prints will be available for purchase at the gallery in the gallery’s online store (or, for local pick-up to save on shipping and handling). Print sales support the gallery’s mission to host solo shows; sponsor local student-run arts organizations; and provide part time jobs for art students in the gallery. The gallery’s first donation will go to Clarke Central’s student-run Iliad literary-art magazine; the gallery’s first paid intern from Clarke Central’s work-release program is Olivia Daniel; and recent arts graduate with
several years of art auction house experience, Elizabeth Simmons, will be assisting with the marketing and presentation of upcoming shows. A small number of prints are still available from Vernon Thornsberry: New Works in Painting and Sculpture.