Doggone Wet! 24x36 Oil on Canvas $3,500
Few places hold as much shared memory as the beach. It is where childhood summers unfold, families gather, friendships are made, and quiet moments become lasting memories. In her newest collection, Bethany Harper Williams explores those universal experiences, creating paintings that feel both deeply familiar and uniquely personal.
Rather than documenting a specific beach or a particular day, Williams paints the feeling of being there. Her figures remain intentionally simple and gestural, allowing viewers to see themselves, their families, or someone they once knew. It is an invitation to fill in the story with their own memories.
"I keep the people gestural and simple," Williams explains. "It allows the viewer to see who they want to see and connect with their own nostalgic memories."
More Beach Memories
20x20 Oil and Pastel on Canvas $2,000
Red Boat Green Boat
40x40 Oil on Canvas $4,700
Beach Swagger
30x30 Oil on Canvas $3,200
This latest body of work also introduces a fresh perspective. Looking down from above, Williams transforms ordinary beach scenes into bold compositions filled with unexpected geometry. Umbrellas become vibrant circles of color, towels become graphic shapes, and the movement of people creates rhythmic patterns across the sand. Long shadows stretch across the landscape, adding depth while guiding the viewer's eye through each painting.
Her process begins in a surprisingly abstract way. Individual dabs and patches of color are carefully layered until they begin to suggest water, sand, sunlight, and movement. Up close, the paintings reveal playful mosaics of blues, greens, pinks, and oranges. From a distance, those same marks merge into shimmering water and glowing beaches alive with light.
Finding that balance is essential.
"The exploration of color, shapes, and patterns is always important," Williams says. "I want the pattern to enhance the mood of the landscape, not distract from it."
Williams incorporates expressive oil stick drawings of beach umbrellas that preserve the spontaneous energy of an artist's sketch.
Sun on My Shoulders 30x30 Oil on Canvas
That sense of play extends beyond the paintings themselves. Throughout this show, Williams incorporates expressive oil stick drawings of beach umbrellas that preserve the spontaneous energy of an artist's sketch. These loose, graphic works reinforce the carefree feeling that runs throughout the collection while reminding us that imagination often begins with the simplest marks.
Composition plays an equally important role. Bold circles of brightly colored umbrellas contrast with expansive areas of open sand. Rich, dark shadows anchor the paintings, creating visual depth while emphasizing the warmth and brilliance of the summer sun. Every element works together to capture not simply a place, but a fleeting moment in time.
Ultimately, these works are less about the beach itself than the memories we associate with it. Williams invites viewers to slow down, recall summers past, and rediscover the joy found in ordinary moments. Each painting becomes both a celebration of color and an invitation to remember.
Golden Hour 30x48 Oil on Canvas $4,500
"I'm often told my paintings feel happy and playful," Williams says. "That's exactly the mood I'm in while I'm painting them."
Perhaps that is why these paintings resonate so deeply. They remind us that nostalgia is rarely about one specific place. It is about the feeling of warmth, freedom, laughter, and endless summer days that linger long after the footprints have washed away.