Bethany Harper-Williams

Bethany, born in Montreal and trained at Concordia University (Honours, Graphic Design), transitioned from a 20-year graphic design career to focus on oil painting. Inspired by lakes and oceans, she abstracts landscapes into minimal shapes and colours, emphasizing mood and movement over detail. Her dynamic brushwork and nuanced textures evoke the energy and serenity of water, creating memorable, playful compositions. Her work is held in private collections across Canada, the US, and the UK.Bethany was born in Montreal, Quebec and studied fine arts at Concordia University, graduating with Honours in Graphic Design. She moved to Toronto in 1986 and embarked on a 20-year career in Graphic Design while still painting and drawing on the side. Eventually, her passion for art took over and she committed all of her efforts to oil painting.

Bethany’s work is inspired by the landscape around her. Having spent her summers by the lake or ocean, she is especially inspired by water – the calm and serenity, the energy and movement, the light and ever changing hues. She is also intrigued by the memories spent by the water and how universal and powerful these memories are.

By taking the landscape and simplifying it, Bethany’s aim is to capture a moment in time without the details of representation. Breaking it into minimal shapes and colours, she creates a mood that captures the moment in its purest form.

The expanse of the landscape – whether it be sky or beach – gives her an opportunity to play with colours, textures and energetic brushstrokes, creating an abstracted image made up of the unexpected and removing the viewer from the reality of the context – playful, sometimes whimsical, always memorable.

Bethany’s work can be found in collections in Canada, the United States and the UK.
She is represented by a number of galleries in both Quebec and Ontario including Koyman Galleries in Ottawa, ON.