About the Artist

Biography of Artist Esther. J. Williams

Esther’s involvement in art has spanned over 60 years.  She was born in Binghamton, NY in 1955.   She focused on art throughout her early educational years, by drawing with any medium she could grasp between her fingers.  As a very young child she felt the urge to draw on everything, so her father asked the local butcher for clean wrapping paper for his artist daughter. She would draw too her heart's content on that butcher paper with big bold strokes.   Her father kept encouraging her.  When she was eight years old in 1964, she designed a poster for a Calif. Department of Motor Vehicles contest; it won her first place statewide.  While in her senior year of high school in 1973, she was offered a scholarship to the Calif. College of Arts at Oakland, thanks to her art teacher.  Instead, there was a seven year marriage to her first husband and having two sons.  By 1980 she began formal studies in art at Tompkins Cortland-Community College (TC-3) in Dryden, New York.  She studied both architectural design and fine art.  She received her A.A.S. Degree in 1982. She spent another year studying art and art history at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland in 1982.  She moved to Los Angeles in 1983 to study fashion design at The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). 

Trying to balance her role as a mother forced her to take a long sabbatical. She retained her creative spirit and became self-motivated in her learning of art.  She lived in Washington, D.C. for five years spending many hours studying the masters in the museums. In 1987 she returned to California for good. She remarried and now has two daughters, her two sons, lots of grand children also. She has entered into many juried exhibitions and won various awards.  She is in one art association, has accelerated her awareness of the plein air and California, plus French impressionism style by continuing to paint among modern signature and established artists. 

Gallery representation:  Afishinado's Gallery, Crystal Cove Historic District Store.  

Affiliations are the California Art Club, she wants life to be more simple.

Esther is not related to the swimmer/movie star Esther Williams. But she was a trained lifeguard and water-safety instructor in college.  She also has acted in a few television shows as an extra.