Maryanna Williams: The Hieroglyphics of Trees

In The Hieroglyphics of Trees I've explored the beautiful surfaces and forms of trees.

Artist Statement

My imagery comes from being immersed in nature and an interest in creating a dialogue between simple forms and intricate patterns. Close up and filling the picture plane, the images shift between realism and abstraction, at times dissolving into facets of color and marks vibrating across surfaces. 

Using a single piece of linoleum I create multi-colored images by sequentially carving and layering colors. I print by hand onto rice papers with beautiful textures and fibers that are integrated into the works. This printmaking method is unforgiving, demanding that I balance chance with control to save the image. There is an energy that comes from these continual adjustments where the image is always in a state of becoming until the final color is laid to paper.

In my work I transform subjects from nature into images that express my deep passion for the intense beauty I see in the world.

Maryanna Williams, Tree Trunk One, Reduction Linocut

About the Artist

Maryanna Williams received a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Southeastern Massachusetts University (now UMass Dartmouth) in 1978. Since that time, she has lived and worked in Massachusetts, Italy, North Carolina and, now, Virginia. For the past thirty years she has worked primarily as a printmaker, specifically doing reduction linoleum printmaking. She has shown regularly, both in solo exhibitions and in group shows, across the United States and her work is in collections in The United States and Canada. A linocut from her most recent series, Woven Fragments, has been selected to be included in The 2026 Boston Printmaker’s North American Print Biennial.