University for the Creative Arts 2006/2007
Efua Williams
Efua is a qualified teacher and Head of Art at a local school and
graduated in 1989 from Kent Institute of Art and Design with a BA (Hons)
Fine Art (painting). Through various innovative schemes Efua has been
instrumental in setting up a variety of Art clubs for younger children,
establishing several successful ‘Artist in Residence’ schemes at the
school and curating various exhibitions of student work. Having spent
much of the last 15 years focusing on developing the art department for
the benefit of students, her recent participation on the Artist Teacher
Scheme here at the University College, has re-kindled her passion for
her own fine art practice.
"My commitment has always been to the visual
arts and what has sustained me in my current position is the ability to
explore my own creative interests through the work of others. After experiencing a week long Artist Teacher Scheme
in the summer I am looking to continue to explore some of the themes I
worked on in that time. These being the effects of children, loss and
the experience of growing through painful experiences. These will not be
overly narrative but offer connections to everyone. I am keen to avoid
cliché and hackneyed imagery. Being exposed to contemporary work and
workers will encourage greater critical analysis. I want to continue to
work with a sense of urgency so that the juxtapositions I create have a
rawness and energy to them. I would start by finishing a series of
simple screen prints that I planned in the summer based on an assortment
of plastic ‘bits and bobs’ from childhood. Our difficulty in describing
through words things that have such vivid and personal recollections
attached to them mirrors our inability to come to terms with the
expectations we had as children. These are rarely fulfilled in adult
life. I am also keen to incorporate observational drawing into my work,
keeping this as an integral part of the process. The summer course
engendered a sense of joy for me and I am keen to use this positively."
