Opening reception: Friday, October 10, 5-7 PM

Don Williams | Constructed and Assembled | Rebecca Lawrence Gallery Entry

Exhibition Statement | The works selected for this exhibition were created between 2023 and 2025. They showcase the breadth of Don Williams’ sculpture practice, ranging from vessel forms to wall assemblages made from clay and found objects. The artist works in cycles, dedicating several months each year to developing different bodies of work, with each series naturally leading into the next. While the bodies of work may differ, they are interconnected through a shared visual language of shape, line, texture, color, and composition. In January 2025, Williams began constructing a series of coil-built architectural pieces. Structures #1 and #2 are part of this series. In these works, the artist employs a grid structure to create open forms that define space without the use of mass. Light filters through their interiors, and the grid generates patterns of line and shadow, allowing glimpses of objects beyond the pieces. The coils serve as the bones or framework of an unknown, unfinished building. In the spring, Williams initiated another series of structures, this time using clay slabs rather than coils. Vessels #3 and #4 evoke industrial architecture, resembling a curved building divided into chambers—likely part of a larger cylindrical storage tank, or the interior of a structure that may have once been enclosed or remains incomplete. The surfaces of these pieces are glazed, fired, and then sandblasted upon exiting the kiln, which erodes the glaze and gives the structures a weathered appearance. The remaining pieces in the exhibition are assemblages. The clay components in these works often consist of cut-off sections left over from the construction of other clay vessels, slices taken from a mound of recycled clay, or small forms made from leftover coil scraps. Non-clay elements are gathered from walks in the woods or along the coast, as well as from scrap metal yards, construction sites, or burn piles. Williams works intuitively, allowing the right composition of components to develop over weeks or months. He often juggles multiple pieces at once, as solutions for one work may emerge while he is focused on another. The finished pieces result in engaging compositions that blend color, texture, line, and space, bringing together disparate objects to form unexpected and evocative relationships.

Biography | Don Williams is both a potter and a sculptor. He divides his studio time between making functional slab-built ceramics and creating clay and mixed-media sculpture. Making utilitarian objects grounds the artist, connecting him to the earth with materials and process, and to the people who use his vessels. The need to express ideas and push beyond the parameters of function compels him to make sculpture. Williams has exhibited his work in galleries across the country. He has also been featured in publications including the Boston Globe, Yankee Magazine, and New Hampshire Home magazine. In addition to making art, Williams’ career has also included teaching, most recently at the University of New Hampshire. As a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Art and Art History, he headed the Ceramics program for ten years, taught all the ceramics courses, and mentored students. Since retiring from UNH in 2020, Don’s focus has shifted home to Deerfield, NH, where he and his wife, Janice, have lived for 34 years. His studio sits next to a small stream, surrounded by woods and fields. The setting is both meditative and stimulating. It fuels his creativity. More of Don’s work can be seen at Donwilliamsclay.com.

Artist Statement | Don Williams primarily works with clay, a material he first played with as a child and later rediscovered in college, where he fell in love with it. Clay connects him to a long-standing tradition of vessel making that dates back thousands of years. Years ago, while in Mesa Verde, he saw the fingerprint on the handle of an Ancestral Pueblo pitcher. At that moment, he knew exactly how that wet clay handle felt in the hands of the maker as it was being shaped. This tactile connection resonated with him instantly, transcending a span of a thousand years. Today, this experience continues to deeply influence his work. The natural world plays a significant role in Williams’ life and inspires him greatly. He also draws inspiration from architecture, ranging from indigenous forms that utilize natural materials to industrial plants constructed from steel and concrete. The relationships between these two elements serve as a foundation for his art.

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