Holly Sue Williams was born in Salt Lake City in 1965. She is a ballet dancer and also a visual artist known for her prismacolor and colored pencil drawings. She lives in Salt Lake City.

Williams earned a BFA in ballet performance from the University of Utah in 1989. During the course of her study she also completed courses in the visual arts.

Williams works in colored pencil with both light and dark color, layering them as with oil painting. Williams's work has been exhibited at the Springville Museum of Art spring salon 2002 and in 1996 when she won a merit award for Bounty on Blue.

Information on this page was adapted from material provided by the Artist.

Holly Sue Williams (1965-), of Salt Lake City, is a prismacolor draftsman and oil painter of realistic landscapes, wildlife, still lifes, and florals. She is a member of the Colored Pencil Society of Utah. She earned a B.F.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Utah in Ballet Performance in 1989, but also earned many credits from the Visual Arts Department during her years at the University. Born with a profound hearing loss, her accomplishments in the field of dance are very impressive. While performing with ballet companies in Michigan, Ohio, and South Carolina, she began to develop an art portfolio in her spare time. She has exhibited in the Art Access Gallery, Eccles Gallery, Springville Art Museum, Utah Arts Council Traveling Exhibit, Bountiful/Davis Art Center and other shows, winning some awards for her finely detailed colored pencil work. A few of her works have been published in magazines, books and as greeting cards. Her profile was also included in a book called Wonderfully Worth Doing, written by Frank McEntire and published in 1996 by Art Access/ Very Special Arts Utah.

Artistic creation, whether through dance or drawing, has profoundly influenced and shaped the life of Holly Williams. She says, “Art has freed me from restraints and given me a language in which I can interact with society.“ However she points out, “You don't have to be able to hear in order to draw or paint; if you want to do something, you just have to work really hard, keep trying, and never give up.“

Education

• University of Utah, School of Ballet, BFA 1989
• Christensen Ballet Academy - Butler Dance Academy
• Bene Arnold's “The Deaf Shall Dance“ Performing Group
• Summer School Programs: Marin Ballet,Washington Ballet
• Sun Valley Summerdance, Columbia City Dance Institute
• Graduate Study: Attila Ficzere, Joseph Woelfel, Sharee Lane

Companies

• Columbia City Ballet - 1993-94
• Olympic Ballet- 1994
• Eugene Ballet- 1992-93
• Ballet Michigan - 1991
• Ballet Met - 1990
• Utah Ballet Company (University of Utah) 1985-89

Television Credits

• PM Magazine - April 1986 & May 1989
• C.B.S. Special: At Mother's Request, C. Ludlow's “Grand Pas“ 1988
• Mississippi Educational Network: Grand Prix de Ballet:The 27th International Competition, 1991

Awards

• 2002 - Springville Art Museum, 78th Annual Spring Salon
• 2001 - Featured artist in Kaleidoscope Magazine, July
• 1997 - Cover Art, Catalyst, vol. 16 #4 April, 1997
• 1996 - Springville Art Museum, 72nd Annual Spring Salon ;96, Merit Award
• 1993 - Courage Card Art Search, Christmas Card Design Competition, Cash/Publication Award
• 1989 - Very Special Arts/ Utah, Artist of the Year Award

To contact this artist: hollisu@cu.com

Biography courtesy of the Artist.

Newspaper Articles

"72nd Utah Spring Salon: Springville Art Exhibition Includes a Dazzling Array of First- Rate Utah Creativity." The Deseret News, April 28, 1996.

"Art Winners." Davis County Clipper, June 5, 1989.

"Deaf Ballerina Has a Feel for the Music." The Salt Lake Tribune, April 5, 1989.

"Deaf Dancer Realizes a Dream as She Prepares For..." The Enterprise, May 4, 1994.

"Deafness Fails to Slow Two Very Special Women Both Will Perform in Arts Festival April 27th and 28th." The Deseret News, April 21, 1989.

"Galleries." The Deseret News, July 23, 1995.

"Galleries." The Deseret News, March 5, 1995.

"Showing at Local Galleries." The Deseret News, February 9, 2003.

"Showing at Local Galleries." The Deseret News, September 8, 2002.

"Showing at Local Galleries." The Deseret News, October 10, 1999.

"Story of Courage, Determination to Unfold on Midvale Stage Friday Night." The Green Sheet Editor, Volume 5.

"'The Reunion Exhibit' Features Works of 35." The Deseret News, September 29, 1992.

"Utah Marquee: Visual Art." The Salt Lake Tribune, October 15, 1999.

"Utah Marquee: Visual Art." The Salt Lake Tribune, September 13, 2002.

Books

Olpin, Robert S., William C. Seifrit, and Vern G. Swanson. Artists of Utah. Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith Publishing Co, 1999.

Periodicals

Willmott, Gail. "Creativity Through Dance and Still Life." Kaleidoscope, Summer/Fall 2001, 43, 50-51.