Ridgefield artist looks to water for inspiration

Environmental issues have always played a prominent role in Ridgefield mixed-media artist Jennifer Williams’ work. She’s particularly interested in calling attention to the need for watershed restoration, and the importance of water is on full display in her latest show at Art on the Boulevard (http://artontheboulevard.org).

“Written in Water” will be featured at the downtown Vancouver gallery throughout July and August. There will be an artist’s reception 5-9 p.m. July 1 as part of First Friday Art Walk.

The show’s 19 pieces all depict water. It carries “a message of hope with renewed visions of the future and a healed watershed,” said Williams, 39. “It’s an important show for me, and I think people will be really moved by it.”

Williams works on birch panels with acrylic paint layered over mixed media, including recycled maps, text, paper grocery bags, cedar bark and gold flake.

“It’s an exciting process because it’s always a discovery,” she said.

“Written in Water” is an extension of “River of Knowledge,” a triptych she was commissioned to create for the new Vancouver Community Library, which opens July 17. Williams hopes that having her pieces on display simultaneously at two close-to-each-other venues will encourage library patrons to visit Art on the Boulevard, and vice versa.