Artwork copyright Louise Williams. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Children in the Field, 2002

Louise Williams
American (born 1947, died 2004)

Location: Sharpstein Elementary School, Walla Walla

About the Artwork

Children in the Field is a pastel drawing by late artist Louise Williams. It is part of her body of work that shows children playing, learning together, and sharing discoveries. This piece is based on a photograph of Williams' granddaughter Maya and her friend LaPrea watching butterflies and reading about them. She noted, "Perhaps, as many believe, our continued existence depends on how we learn to be with one another and teach our children. Now we face the challenge of living with grace and wonder in the natural world. Children are the future. Let us teach them to love one another; to use their brains to make rational and humane decisions. I wish my work to be a reminder of the best that is in human nature."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Walla Walla Public Schools.

About the Artist

Northwest artist Louise Williams (1947-2004) created artworks informed by everyday life, by travel, and by her experiences as a woman and mother.
Williams received a Bachelor of Arts from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and a Master of Fine Arts in drawing and painting from Central Washington University in Ellensburg.