POWERGRAMS

and unspoken into the realm of the perceived – to express beyond what the written or spoken word can convey. "The main point is to create something I and others can enjoy … something that creates a bridge for communication and engagement." What Williams communicates has made a difference in the life of local interior designer Margaret Jones. "My first encounter with Portia was a conversation about art and art history," Jones recalls. "I quickly realized that was her true passion. Her art is vibrant, expressive and she creatively uses texture and exciting found objects. "Because of Portia's love of art and encouragement, I am now in art classes and only hope I can be as accomplished as she." Williams' adventure in art began as a child, when she "doodled, and wrote poetry and lyrics for fun." Her grandfather sang in a gospel quartet and her grandmother sang in a choir. "My mother had a lot of artistic talent, although she became a scientist. But she made sure we were always exposed to a great variety of new ideas, people and artistic expressions," she says. The doodling, poetry and lyric-writing expanded until college, when she delved into radio and sound engineering in studios and at concerts. "That was a major turning point in my life, in part because I learned so much about people, collaboration and the beauty of sound," Williams says. "I'm at a place now in my paintings where all these elements are converging. Music remains one of my primary sources of inspiration. Many of the titles I give my pieces have a musical reference." Williams creates traditional paintings and mixed- media acrylic abstracts by incorporating many layers, textures and found objects. 40 PROFILE

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