Artist to be part of Lawndale exhibit

Artist Arnea Williams gets her inspiration from other people's actions and expressions.

"I like to create art that gives my subject a voice," Williams said. "I see things in people's eyes and in their character that speaks to me, and I just want to share that with everyone else."

Williams' work will be featured in the Lawndale Art Center's upcoming "Present Tense" exhibit. The exhibit – which opens Friday, Jan. 25, and runs through Saturday, March 2 – is curated by Sapphire Williams and features the work of local artists Rosine Kouamen, Shannon Duncan, Emily Peacock and Britt Ragsdale.

"It's a group of women artists, and we're placing emphasis on subjects that we feel are important to us," Williams said. "There's not a set topic for the show. It's just about all of us coming together and making a strong presentation."

For her contribution to the exhibit, Williams took a woman's letter to her rapist and incorporated pieces of it into her art.

"It's touching on the subject of rape, but in a much less abrasive approach than what you would normally expect," she said. "It's a little bit different than things I would usually do … but I kind of wanted to step out of my comfort zone and do some mixed media. It's pretty interesting."

Williams is currently pursuing a master's degree at the University of Houston. She says she was motivated to pursue the degree because she wanted to "fall in love with photography and art all over again." As part of her University of Houston master's course, Williams teaches a fundamentals introduction to photography class.

When she's not creating or teaching art, Williams enjoys shopping. She also describes herself as an "interior decorating junkie" and avid do-it-yourselfer.

"I watch tons of do-it-yourself interior decorating shows, and I like to do all sorts of projects around my place," Williams said.

To learn more about Arnea Williams and her artwork, visit www.livefreshvintage.com or connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. For more information on the "Present Tense" exhibit, call the Lawndale Art Center at 713-528-5858, email askus@lawndaleartcenter.org or visit www.lawndaleartcenter.org. You can also connect with the Lawndale Art Center on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and MySpace.

ABOUT Arnea Williams
AGE: 27
OCCUPATION: Artist
COMMUNITY CONNECTION: Galleria resident
FAST FACT: Williams attended Sam Houston State University

Megan Mattingly-Arthur is a freelance writer. She can be reached at neighborhoods@chron.com.