Neil Williams

My background began in sculpture, and although I now work extensively as a painter, I still approach images with a sculptor's eye. I am interested in form, structure and the process of revealing an image rather than simply applying colour to a surface.

See my main profile here. 

Much of my professional life has involved working with young people and educators, exploring how art can develop curiosity, confidence, communication and independent thinking. I am particularly interested in creative opportunities that do not depend on having access to expensive equipment or specialist facilities.

I founded 4D as a not-for-profit creative organisation and continue to work across education, community projects, professional development and the wider arts sector. My interests include creative learning, accessible art-making, public art, technology and the relationship between traditional artistic skills and contemporary practice.

My current studio work focuses on portraiture and literary characters. I am fascinated by the fact that every reader creates their own visual interpretation of a character when they read a book. My paintings explore what happens when those imagined characters are taken out of their original historical or fictional setting and reconsidered from a contemporary perspective.

I have also worked with street art, painting, sculpture and printmaking, and continue to develop practical approaches that allow people to experiment with image-making using resources they may already have around them.

I enjoy the overlap between making and teaching because each informs the other. Working with students continually changes the questions I ask as an artist, while my own practice gives me new things to bring back into educational settings.

Ultimately, I am interested in what happens when people are given permission to experiment rather than being told there is one correct way to be creative.